log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline Pg 12 MONDAY JULY 28, 2025 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 41 Goa's Biggest Media Brand with Highest Viewership which makes us >> pg 6 10 key triggers for stock markets this week: Fed meet, Q1 results, Trump tariffs IN SHORT >> Ponda couple duped of `  6L in scam 1 PONDA: A couple from Ponda was defrauded of Rs 16 lakh by six individuals associated with a Kolhapur-based company. A complaint in this regard has been lodged at the Mardol Police Station. The accused convinced the couple to invest in a scheme that promised monthly returns of Rs 4,500 for every Rs 1 lakh invested, over a two-year period. Chain snatcher nabbed by police PORVORIM: In a swift breakthrough, Porvorim Police arrested a man involved in a chain-snatching incident. According to SP (North) Rahul Gupta, a complaint was lodged by a woman stating that on July 24, a man arrived on a scooter outside her residence. Claiming to have a parcel in her name, he lured her outside and suddenly snatched her gold chain before fleeing.  >> See pg 3 Tech major TCS to cut 12,000 jobs NEW DELHI: Tata Consultancy Services, India’s largest IT services provider, announced on Sunday that it plans to reduce its workforce by 2 percent in its 2026 financial year. This reduction, primarily impacting middle and senior management, will eliminate approximately 12,200 jobs from the company’s current workforce of over 613,000. Man stabs 11 in US Walmart store TRAVERSE CITY: Chaos unfolded at a Walmart in Michigan after a man burst into the store during a calm shopping afternoon and stabbed 11 people at random, authorities say. The attack left six victims in critical condition. WEATHER >> Max: 30.5 C Min: 25.6C Humidity: 80% TIDES Low: High: 06:41 19:37 00:35 13:28 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Come join us Contact: 9011043385 / 9850755549 / 9130004704 / 9689923150 Email: marketing@prudentmedia.in Tragedy strikes Haridwar temple, stampede kills 8 RUMOURS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT SPARKS PANIC PTI HARIDWAR A stampede broke out at Haridwar’s hilltop Mansa Devi temple where hundreds of devotees had gathered on Sunday, killing at least eight people and leaving 30 injured, police said. Rumours of an electric current where the stairs to the temple begin triggered panic among people, leading to the stampede, Haridwar’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Singh Dobal told PTI Videos. Thirty-four people were rushed to a hospital and eight of them died, he said. The incident took place around 9 am. Being a Sunday, a large crowd of devotees had gathered at the temple atop the Shivalik hills at a height of more than 500 feet. Videos from the spot Footwear and belongings of devotees lie at the site of the stampede at Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar on Sunday. showed a massive rush of people, including children and women, towards the narrow entrance of the temple and outside the hospital, worried family members waiting for the news of their loved ones. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a magisterial probe has been ordered. “A stampede broke out at the Mansa Devi temple in the morning because of a rumour.... We have ordered a magisterial probe into the incident and those responsible for spreading the rumour will face strict action,” Dhami told reporters. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those who expressed grief over the loss Jadeja, Gill, Sundar hit tons to secure Manchester draw of lives in the stampede. “The news of the deaths of many devotees in a stampede on the way to the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar is deeply painful. I express my heartfelt condolences to all the grieving families. I pray that all the injured devotees recover quickly,” Murmu said in a post in Hindi on X. Modi, in a post on X, said: “Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected.” The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the fire brigade are at the spot. Dhami announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. He also visited the injured at the district hospital in Haridwar and assured their families of all help. Farmers oppose govt proposal to set up IIT on Sanjivani land THE GOAN I NETWORK SANGUEM Sanguem’s sugarcane farmers have strongly opposed any move by the government to allocate land belonging to the Sanjivani Sugar Factory for an IIT or any non-agricultural project. Farmers from remote villages in the region warned of legal action and mass protests if the government proceeds without addressing their long-standing grievances. Harshad Shankar Prabhudessai, a farmer from Netravali, said recent media reports about setting up an IIT at Sanjivani’s Usgao land have sparked deep concern. He stressed that the land is collectively owned by sugarcane growers across Goa, who are shareholders of the factory. “The government cannot decide on this land without our consent,” he said, also highlighting the state’s failure to set up a promised ethanol plant after the factory’s closure — a move that has left >Continued on P7 Pitbull attacks nine-year-old Chimbel girl VICTIM IN GMC, OWNER ARRESTED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a disturbing incident that raises serious concerns over public safety, a nine-year-old girl was mauled by a pitbull in Indiranagar, Chimbel. The attack occurred around 3 pm on Saturday when the child, a resident of the same neighbourhood, was attacked by the pitbull. She sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim, for immediate medical attention. Following the incident, a team from the Old Goa Police rushed to the scene and launched an investigation. Acting under the guidance of Police Inspector Satish Padwalkar, Sub-Inspector Jasvita Naik registered a case and arrested the dog’s owner, Riyaz Mallur. No decision yet on HQ of third district: Govt Govt raises alarm over cancer risk linked to acidity drug Ranitidine AGENCIES CABINET NOTE HAD PROPOSED CURCHOREM THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government on Sunday clarified that no decision has been taken regarding the headquarters of the proposed third district of Goa. In a press statement issued, Director of Planning, Statistics and Evaluation Vijay Saxena said that the government has not yet decided the headquarters of the third district. “As has been reported in certain sections of electronic and print media that the headquarters of the Third District in Goa would be Curchorem in Quepem Taluka, it has been clarified that the government has not yet decided the headquarters of the district,” Saxena said. However, the cabinet note, which was circulated during the meeting on Friday and passed accordingly, the copy of which is with The Goan, clearly states that “the headquarters of the proposed New District is proposed to be set up at Curchorem in Quepem taluka”. THE TURNAROUND „„A cabinet note circulated on Friday and passed accordingly, clearly states that the headquarters of the proposed New District will be at Curchorem „„Kavlekar along with QMC councillors, sarpanchas, panchayat members and others met CM „„They demanded that the headquarters of the third district be established at Quepem „„On Sunday, Director of Planning, Statistics and Evaluation Vijay Saxena issues a press statement saying the govt has not yet decided the headquarters of the third district The statement or rather clarification by the government is issued following opposition cum resentment expressed by former deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar over the proposal. Kavlekar along with Quepem Municipal Chairperson, Councillors, Sarpanchas, Panchayat Members, and other members of civil society met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant demanding that the headquarters of the proposed third district in Goa be established at Quepem. “Chief Minister Pramod Sawant gave us a patient hearing and assured us that our demand has been duly noted,” Kavlekar said in a post on ‘X’. The State cabinet had on Friday accorded its approval for creation of  Third  District, comprising four remote talukas of Canacona, Quepem, Sanguem and Dharbandora. With creation of a  third  district, the boundaries of the existing North Goa district will remain unchanged, whereas, the South Goa will consist of only Ponda, Salcete and Mormugao. The incident has sparked renewed calls for the enforcement of the ban and stricter action against those keeping prohibited breeds in residential areas. This marks the third dog bite incident in less than 10 days. A few days ago, a 60-year-old man was injured after being attacked by a Rottweiler in Anawada, Candolim. In another case, a pedestrian was reportedly bitten by a pet dog on the main road near Aathi Resort in Bogmalo. Last week, the law to prohibit domestication of ferocious breeds of dogs and breeding them was passed by the Goa legislative Assembly. It empowers the government to notify any breed or class of animals to be “ferocious” and seeks to provide a regulation for breeding and domestication of animals and all related matters. GOURD OF HOPE: A woman places a cucumber at the feet of the statue of St Anne during the feast day celebrations at Santana Church, Talaulim on Sunday. Popularly known as Touxeachem Fest, the tradition sees childless couples visiting St Anne to pray for the blessing of a child, offering a cucumber as a symbol of their plea. Govt mulls blockchain tech to secure land transactions THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI At the backdrop of land grab cases, the Goa government is considering implementing blockchain technology for land registration and to verify property transactions in the State.   The information was provided by Chief Minister Pra- mod Sawant to the State Legislative Assembly, wherein he said that the proposal is under consideration of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication. “Implementation of Blockchain Technology in land registration and related process is under consideration,” Sawant said. He also said that the government has approved digitization of Notary records and the empanelled agency Info Tech Corporation of Goa Ltd (ITG) has commenced working on the same. The blockchain is a technology that allows for the tamper-proof and >Continued on P7 NEW DELHI The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has directed all State and Union Territory drug regulators to ensure manufacturers of Ranitidine -- a commonly used acidity medicine --monitor NDMA levels, a potentially cancer-causing impurity, in both the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and formulations of the drug. The CDSCO has also suggested reducing the shelf life as a precautionary step. The move comes from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, following a recommendation by the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) during its 92nd meeting. The Board reviewed a report submitted by an expert committee constituted in December last year to study the impurity concerns around Ranitidine. Based on this, DTAB has called for a larger committee to examine all aspects of the issue, including storage conditions that may contribute to NDMA formation. After tobacco, AIIMS pushes for AS VILLAGES OPPOSE MEGA PROJECTS… it checks water supply before approval cancer caution on booze bottles Govt insistsDEPARTMENT’S FACTS & FIGURES THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI NEW DELHI Researchers at AIIMS have called for strong, evidence-based warning labels on alcohol products to prevent avoidable cancers, building on India’s success with tobacco warnings. In an opinion piece titled “Expanding behavioural interventions through cancer warning labels in India: from cigarette packs to alcohol bottles” published in Frontiers in Public Health on July 24, the doctors have highlighted that alcohol, like tobacco, is a Researchers cautioned about the advisory brought out by US surgeon general in January 2025 regarding consumption of alcohol and the risk of cancer proven carcinogen, yet awareness remains low. The opinion piece by oncologists Dr Abhishek Shankar, Dr Vaibhav Sahni and Dr Deepak Saini from the Department of Radiation Oncology, Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, Delhi stated that adolescence forms a crucial period for the initiation and intensification of substance use behaviour, including alcohol. Behavioural interventions instituted by means of alcohol warning labels may prove to be effective in affecting positive changes in the consumption habits of individuals belonging to this age group, particularly in Low-and Middle-Income Countries, where it is all the more important for certain sections of society to be educated and sensitised towards the consequences of substance use, the researchers said. MAPUSA mid growing opposition from villages across Goa to large-scale housing and commercial projects citing lack of basic infrastructure, the State government has claimed that necessary checks are conducted before issuing water availability certificates to such developments. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also heads the Department of Drinking Water (DDW), informed that the department verifies whether a village faces water shortages or irregular supply before clearing multi-dwelling unit A „„Estimated total drinking water demand – accounting for domestic, non-domestic and the floating population –stands at 695 MLD „„Dept only able to supply 633 MLD, reflecting a shortfall of 62 MLD „„Only 26.54% of consumers in the State currently receive uninterrupted, 24x7 water supply „„DDW claims despite shortfall, Goa’s per capita water supply remains higher than standards prescribed by Centre „„To address emergencies, dept continues to rely on tanker services as a contingency measure proposals. “The department is adhering to the Goa Provision of Water Supply Rules, 2023, which were notified in the Official Gazette (Series I No. 39 dated December 28, 2023), while assessing and issuing water availability certificates,” said Sawant, responding to a written query during the ongoing monsoon session. The assurance comes at a time when several gram sabhas across the State – including in Moira, Assagao and Siolim (Bardez) and Varca (Salcete) – have witnessed residents raising red flags over mega housing and hotel projects that they say are putting unsustainable pressure on already limited resources like water and electricity. Despite the government’s claim of procedural checks, official data reveals a gap in supply. According to the DDW, the estimated total drinking water demand – accounting for domestic, non-domestic and the floating population – currently stands at 695 million litres per day (MLD). However, the department is only able to supply 633 MLD, reflecting a shortfall of 62 MLD. Additionally, the Chief Minister acknowledged that only 26.54 per cent of consumers in the State currently receive uninterrupted, 24x7 water supply –highlighting the limited reach of continuous water access >Continued on P7