log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2026 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 245 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 SPORTS »PAGE 8 Jia Shankar opens up about media link-up rumours and online trolling Everything you need to know about benefits, sources, and who should take it Fish oil fact file Are Finfluencers replacing advisors? Top-order woes cloud India’s Super 8 opener How body balance exercises can help in mind control? Why doing ‘everything right’ still feels wrong The licensed man: How O’Romeo rewrites the gangster >> SEE PG 2 It’s official! Over 1.27L voters struck off Goa electoral rolls OBJECTIONS CAN BE FILED WITHIN 15 DAYS, SAYS CEO A CORPORATION ON PAPER: THE CCP STORY 9 MAGAZINE MAGAZ Goa’s village names: The hidden stories behind them Decoding driving dynamics in Goa Under the canvas of memory: My days in the scouts uniform When innovation outpaces regulation: AI, real consequences 11 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Goa’s electoral rolls has led to the final deletion of 1,27,468 names. The post-SIR electoral rolls were published by Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer and has 10,57,566 voters -- 5,11,436 men, 5,46,121 women, and nine third-gender voters. Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goyal announced the publication of the final rolls at a press conference on Saturday at his Altinho office. He said objections if any to the deletions can now be filed before the two District Electoral Officers (DEOs) -North Goa and South Goa Collectors -- within the next 15 days. A further opportunity if still aggrieved will be available in the form of appeals against the decision of the Collectors which can later be filed before Vasco constituency tops deletions PANAJI: Vasco constituency recorded the largest number of deletions at 11,657. Other constituencies with high deletions of names include Cortalim (9,389), Dabolim (5,489), Taleigao (4,947), Santa Cruz (4,738), Porvorim (4,563), and Panaji (4,274). Goyal stressed that the revision is aimed at cleaning the rolls of duplication and ineligible voters. He also said the process was conducted transparently, with notices issued and hearings held before deletions even as the final figures mark a significant 10% change in the strength of Goa’s electorate. The final list of photo electoral rolls that was released by Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goyal on Saturday.   Narayan Pissurlenkar the CEO but within 30 days. The SIR process commenced in Goa on October 27 last year, when the rolls had 11,85,034 names. A draft electoral list published after the initial phase of SIR on December 16 had removed 1,42,000 names of voters who were either deceased, absent at their place of residence, duplicate, or permanently shifted to some other place. Those draft rolls had 10,84,992 names, including 58,923 who were flagged for various discrepancies. >Continued on P6 Tension grips Panaji as police evict Siridao villagers from TCP office  ST ANDRE MLA DRAGGED OUT, GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE  OPPN LEADERS EXTEND SUPPORT  PUBLIC RALLY TODAY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The overnight sit-in agitation by Palem-Siridao villagers at the Town and Country Planning (TCP) department’s headquarters in the city escalated dramatically on Saturday when St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar and the protesters were dragged out by the police after a scuffle. The protest, demanding cancellation of a proposed zoning change under Section 39 (A) in the St Andre constituency, had begun on Friday and the protesters, including several women stayed put overnight. After the protesters were removed, Borkar, who had joined them announced that he would begin an indefinite fast until the zoning proposal was scrapped. He also said a large public meeting has been convened at Azad Maidan at 10 am on Sunday to oppose Section 39A of the TCP Act. He accused police of manhandling him, claiming he St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar speaks to media after he was evicted from the TCP office in Panaji on Saturday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar was injured when officers forcibly removed him from the premises. An ambulance was later called to examine him and other protesters. On Friday morning, Borkar had joined the villagers to stage the sit-in at the TCP of- fice which went on till late evening as no official assurance was forthcoming. Later, the protesters decided to continue their sit-in through the night. On Saturday morning, police entered the office and attempted to evict them and in the ensuing commotion, pushing and shoving, Borkar alleged he was assaulted. Opposition leaders Yuri Alemao and Venzy Viegas rushed to the protest venue and extended support, >Continued on P6 Goa braces for heat spell as mercury rises THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI oa is likely to experience above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures over the next three to four days, with the India Meteorological Department (Goa) advising precautions during the hottest part of the day. Data recorded on Saturday at the Panaji observatory showed the maximum temperature touching 34.3°C -- 1.8 degrees above normal with the ‘feel like’ temperature rising to 37.7°C. The minimum temperature stood at 23.4°C, 2.06 degrees above the seasonal average. At the Mormugao observa- G HOT WEATHER: IMD ISSUES CAUTION „„Health risk for infants, elderly, chronically ill „„Higher chances of dehydration, heat cramps, heat rash „„Dry grass may catch fire due to sustained heat „„Avoid going out during peak hours; plan heavy work in cooler times „„Wear light, loose cotton; cover head with hat/um- tory, the maximum temperature was recorded at 33.9°C, 2.5 degrees above normal, and the minimum was 23.4°C, 1.2 degrees above average. While the prevailing heat is described as tolerable for the general public, the department has warned of moderate health concerns for vulnerable groups, including infants, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. The likelihood of dehydra- brella/damp cloth „„Drink water regularly, even without thirst „„Avoid direct sun; take frequent and longer breaks „„Watch out for warning signs -- dizziness, nausea, excessive sweating, seizures tion, heat cramps and heat rash is expected to rise between 11 am and 3 pm, when temperatures peak. The IMD also warned of dry grass being >Continued on P6 420 Portuguese passport holders deleted PANAJI: With data collated from the home ministry, passport office and the FRRO, 16,721 Goans were reported to have acquired Portuguese passports, Goyal said adding that 428 of these had featured on the draft roll published in December. “We have now deleted 420 of them and the process to remove the remaining eight is on,” Goyal said. ON PAGE 3 NEW ELECTORAL ROLLS MAY BE USED FOR MUNICIPAL POLLS IN MAY: SEC Female voters outnumber males in South Goa Norway’s Klaebo becomes first athlete to win six golds at a Winter Games Govt seals casino at Arpora resort over `14 cr dues THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The Big B Casino at Resort Rio in Arpora has been sealed by the North Goa collectorate over non-payment of fees amounting to Rs 14 crore. According to sources, the government had approved the opening of Big B Casino at Resort Rio as per the revised notification till February 2028. The company had not deposited Rs 3 crore to the Home Department for the years from April 2021 to March 2025 and Rs 11 crore for the year from April 2025 to March 2026. Accordingly, the home department had issued a showcause notice to the company on December 12, 2025, directing it to pay the outstanding fees immediately. The license of this casino had also been suspended till then. The company in question, however, did not pay the outstanding fee of Rs 14 crore and continued to operate the casino. After irregularities were detected, Under Secretary (Home) Manthan Naik issued CASINO SAGA „„Govt had approved Big B operations till Feb 2028 „„Company failed to pay Rs 14 crore pending dues „„Home Dept issues show-cause notice, suspends license „„Company continues operations „„Govt orders action; Officials with police seal building an order on February 17 to the North Goa collector, directing him to immediately seal the casino in question. Acting on instructions of the district collectorate, officials from the Bardez Mamladar’s office on Saturday sealed the casino building in the presence of a police team.