log on to thegoan.net SUNDAY JULY 13, 2025 >> SEE PG 2 TRIBAL EQUATION: POLITICS AT PLAY MAGAZINE MAGAZ 09 Speed, negligence & youth: Unmasking Goa’s deadly road race Strengthening solidwaste management at grassroots Konknni films: A cinematic ode to Goan heritage Dharmashastras and the directorate of prosecution 11 IN SHORT >> @thegoanonline One arrested for passport fraud PANAJI: Panaji police arrested a man for attempting to obtain a passport using forged documents. The accused, identified as Pankaj Choure and a resident of Khorlim allegedly submitted a forged birth certificate, PAN card and Aadhaar card through the online passport application portal.  >> See pg 5 X slashes fees for India subscription NEW DELHI: Social media platform X has slashed subscription fees for account holders in India by up to 48%, according to updates on its portal. The social media firm has slashed premium account subscription fee for mobile app by about 48% to Rs 470 from Rs 900 it charged earlier. IGA SWIATEK WINS FIRST WIMBLEDON TITLE RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 AVOIDS BLAME, FINDS NO REASON FOR SWITCH MOVEMENT PTI NEW DELHI Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, a preliminary investigation report said on Saturday, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Airlines Pilots Association of India has however disagreed, saying the investigation is “shrouded in secrecy,” and appears to be biased against the pilot and has come to a conclusion hastily. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed fuel control switches of the two engines moved from the “run” to the “cut off” position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking CRASH REPORT CHRONOLOGY deployed to supply 2 RAT pumppower asminimum 5 One pilot issued abut hydraulic both “Mayday, Mayday, engines fell below the Mayday” distress call, idle rate About 10 seconds later, Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch moved to its so-called RUN position, followed by Engine 2 four seconds later 3 one second apart, almost immediately after takeoff the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so. The report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB), released early on Saturday, neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. Pilots managed to relight both engines, but only Engine 1 recovered while Engine 2 failed to build up enough power It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. But it also said no fault was found in the aircraft, leaving only the possibility of pilot error as the cause. At the controls was First Officer Clive Kunder, 32, while Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran with 30 years of experience at Rahul became only the second India batter to score more than one century at the hallowed Lord’s, after Dilip Vengsarkar England ended the third day with a two-run lead against India with Zak Crawley (2) and Ben Duckett (0) at the crease PANAJI The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has prohibited transboundary movement of hazardous waste to facilities located outside the State with immediate effect.  In a circular issued, the GSPCB has directed the industries producing hazardous Trump imposes 30 pc tariffs on EU, Mexico PTI BRIDGEWATER President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he's levying tariffs of 30 per cent against the European Union and Mexico. Trump announced the tariffs on two of the United States' biggest trade partners in letters posted to his social media account. In his letter to Mexico's leader, Trump acknowledged that the country has been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the United States. But he said the country has not done enough to stop North America from turning into a narco-trafficking playground. Trump in his letter to the European Union said that the US trade deficit was a national security threat. We have had years to discuss our trading relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, trade deficits, engendered by your tariff, and non-tariff, policies, and trade barriers, Trump wrote in the letter to the EU. Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal. Dr Colaco gets prestigious FASE honour THE GOAN I NETWORK Board in specific cases,” GSPCB member secretary Sanjeev Joglekar said.  State’s Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (CHWTSDF) at Pissurlem has been set up to handle the land fillable hazardous waste, incinerable hazardous waste and >Continued on P6 >Continued on P6 REPORT ON PG 8 Transfer of toxic waste banned waste to dispose off landfillable, incinerable and utilisable hazardous waste through the authorized facility of M/s Ponda Envocare Limited.  “Accordingly, the transboundary movement of hazardous waste to facilities located outside the State is hereby prohibited with immediate effect, except with prior written permission of the Air India, was the senior cockpit occupant in command monitoring the flight. The report, however, referenced a 2018 airworthiness bulletin by the US Federal Aviation Administration that said fuel switches had been installed on Boeing 737s, a smaller model, “with the PANAJI In a rare and prestigious recognition, veteran Goan echocardiologist Dr Francisco Colaço has been named an Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE) -- a distinction awarded to only 30 individuals worldwide and just three Indians to date. Dr Colaço, 81, who has been at the forefront of cardiovascular diagnostics in Goa for over five decades since beginning his practice in 1978, becomes the first Goan to receive this global honour. “This recognition is reserved for individuals outside the United States who have made significant contributions to the field of cardiovascular ultrasound and inspired others through their science, leadership and vision,” stated his daughter K L Rahul gestures as he scores a century on the third day of the third Test against England on Saturday THE GOAN I NETWORK before air traffic controllers could get a response, the plane crashed cut-off 1Both fuelmoved 4 switches from RUN to CUTOFF, LORDS & LEGENDS! Committee on land resources formed BELAGAVI: In a shocking incident, a couple from Deshpande Nagar in old Dandeli town is alleged to have sold their 20-day-old baby boy for Rs 3 lakh to repay a loan. The couple, along with two buyers from Belagavi, were arrested. >> See pg 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Fuel control switches cut off, reveals Air India crash report KOLKATA: A woman was allegedly raped by a student of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta inside a hostel on the campus, police said on Saturday. The accused has been arrested on the basis of an FIR lodged by the woman at Haridevpur police station, they said. Couple, two others held for selling baby The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 26 Woman 'raped' on IIM Calcutta campus MARGAO: The govt has constituted a 10-member panel with a brief to examine and recommend policy intervention for sustainable use and management of land resources in the State. The terms of reference of the committee is to study the impact of various development and other activities on non-govt land apart from others.  >> See pg 3 Facebook.com/thegoan locking feature disengaged”. The locking mechanism was similar on various Boeing aeroplane models, including certain 787s, it said. Air India did not carry out inspections recommended in the 2018 FAA advisory on fuel control switch safety, as the bulletin was classified as “non-mandatory”, the report said. It wasn’t immediately clear if this had any link to the accident. The report provided the first detailed account of the fateful 32 seconds between takeoff in Ahmedabad and the crash into a medical college hostel just outside the airport perimeter, killing all but one of the 242 onboard and another 19 on the ground in the deadliest aviation accident in a decade. The report did not provide any clues to why and by whom the two fuel switches >Continued on P6 >>7 Goan students opting for premier colleges may get State aid THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major initiative, the State government is considering to provide financial assistance to Goan students who opt for education in Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Associations of Indian Management Schools (AIIMS) , NIT Goa and other such premier educational institutions across India.  Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has moved a note to the Directorate of Higher Education to formulate a new scheme to grant one time scholarship to Goan students who get selected to such premier institutions including Indian Institute of Mathematical Science (IIMS), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Goa Dental College and Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR).  “The scholarship may be extended to Goan students who get admitted in through all India quota in order to encourage Goan students to apply through the All India Quota which will help more Goan BOOST FOR BRIGHT MINDS „„New scheme on cards to grant one time scholarship to those who opt for GMC, IIT, AIIMS, NIT, IIMS, ISI, ICAR „„Proposal to increase number of scholarships from existing 30 to 50  „„Scheme also for students who take admission in global 500 ranking institutions and study abroad at undergraduate level students to get admissions in these institutions,” CM said in the note.  Further, the Chief Minister has asked the Directorate to amend the existing Manohar Parrikar Goa Scholarship scheme to increase the number of scholarships from existing 30 to 50 students.  The Goa Scholar scheme, introduced in 2018 is being >Continued on P6 Finally, RoRo ferries to debut on Chorao route from July 14 FASTER, SAFER RIVER CROSSINGS ON CARDS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI After multiple delays and a recent trial run, two modern Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferries -- Gangotri and Dwarka -- will finally be launched on the Ribandar-Chorao route on July 14. The new vessels are expected to drastically cut commuting time and enhance passenger safety and comfort. River Navigation Minister Subhash Phal Dessai, who inspected the ferries ahead of the launch, said the revamped service will reduce total waiting and travel time to just 12 minutes. “This marks a new chapter in Goa’s river transport. We urge people to try it out before forming opinions,” he stated, adding that the service could be expanded to other routes following a onemonth review. Each RoRo ferry is equivalent to four conventional ferries in capacity and features dual-end ramps for smooth vehicle movement. The actual crossing time between Ribandar and Chorao will now take only 5 to 7 minutes. Importantly, the service also boasts environmental benefits. “Earlier, six ferries operated with six engines. Now we need just four engines for two RoRos, significantly lowering the carbon footprint,” Phal Dessai explained. To streamline operations, the vessels include clearly marked zones for two and four-wheelers, improving traffic flow. On the passenger front, the ferries are equipped with air-conditioned cabins, medical kits, and a welltrained crew. The captains have undergone over 100 hours of training. “We delayed the launch to ensure the >Continued on P6 Soon, police cars, KTC buses to spot traffic violations Vehicles to be fitted with artificial intelligence-enabled dashboard cameras THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI n a bid to tighten road safety enforcement and curb traffic violations, the Goa government has chalked out plans to begin outfitting police vehicles and State-run Kadamba buses with artificial intelligence-enabled dashboard cameras under a new surveillance initiative known as the Goa Vehicle Authentication (GoVA) System. “It is a project initiated by the Traffic Cell under the supervision of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant,” Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Prabodh I ROADS UNDER SURVEILLANCE „„AI-based GoVA system to enhance road safety, traffic law enforcement „„Footage to be used for real-time monitoring, route analytics etc „„Phase-1 includes real-time document verification at check posts „„Phase 2 introduces dash cam-based traffic monitoring „„Dash cams to generate alerts and challans „„Project to follow PPP model, coordinated by Info Tech Corporation „„Earnings to be split -- 55% to govt, 5.5% to ITG & 39.5% to the system integrator Shirwaikar confirmed, speaking to The Goan. The officer revealed that the government has approved the proposal and though it is still in the preliminary stage, the modalities are being worked out. “For now, we have decided to begin with police vehicles and KTCL buses,” he added. The GoVA System, cleared by the State cabinet this week, will be rolled out in a pub- lic-private partnership (PPP) model. The system seeks to record visible traffic violations, streamline vehicular documentation at State borders and ensure wider enforcement of the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. “The AI-enabled dash cams will be a significant tool in capturing real-time violations, generating alerts, and issuing challans through an automated backend system. It will make our roads safer and enforcement smoother,” Shirwaikar said. The system will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, an automated border document verification system will be introduced at designated check posts. It will allow real-time online verification of vehicle documents >Continued on P6