log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 78 Margao, Aquem comunidades cry foul as bid to hire lawyer thwarted 2 GOA CAG flags `53.66 cr mismanagement in GIDC civil works 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Skin pigmentation: Ways you can treat it at home Another tragedy hits BITS Pilani, student found dead FIFTH DEATH AT THE INSTITUTE IN 9 MONTHS RAISES ALARM THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO In a shocking and tragic development, yet another student was found dead at the BITS Pilani Goa campus on Thursday, marking the fifth death of a student at the prestigious institution in nine months. Verna police are carrying out investigations to ascertain the circumstances leading to the death of Rishi Nair (20). Authorities have maintained that all angles are being probed, given the spate of cases that have shaken the institution. Sources informed that the deceased student was not an original student of BITS Pilani Goa campus and had arrived based on a transfer request from the BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus. “He is a second-year student who had come from BITS Pilani campus Hyderabad. He arrived here in the first week of August and he was from Bangalore. He was a second-year student in MSc Physics after finishing his first year in BITS Pilani Hyderabad. The management has explained Panel headed by Collector to probe PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday announced that a committee headed by the South Goa Collector, Ms Egna Cleetus, IAS, has been constituted to conduct a probe into the death of a 20-year-old student at the BITS Pilani K K Birla campus in Zuarinagar. He expressed concern that this is the fifth reported student death at the institute in the last nine months and said the government will consider suitable interventions after the panel’s findings are received. Sawant added that the administration will work closely with the campus management to review existing protocols and ensure that stronger student welfare measures are implemented effectively. He also informed that a similar committee will be set up in North Goa and that institutions will receive advisories and instructions focused on counselling services and preventive measures for student well-being. the entire story to the police who are taking the statements of the parents,” said a source. “Another source added that the deceased boy may have been facing some issues pertaining to depression and his parents had requested for a transfer of college from BITS Pilani Hyderabad to BITS Pilani Goa campus.” “The parents were trying to call the son in the morning but the calls were unanswered. The concerned parents then contacted the management who directed the warden of the hostel to open the door of the room, only to find the student dead on his bed,” the source added. The incident comes against ON PAGE 7 AAP seeks judicial probe into deaths at BITS Pilani Goa campus Cong demands SIT probe into deaths at BITS Pilani Goa the backdrop of a disturbing series of student deaths reported at the BITS Pilani Goa campus within 9 months. In December 2024, second-year BE Computer Science and MSc Chemistry student, Om Priyan Singh, died by suicide. Just three months later, Atharv Desai, a thirdyear dual-degree student, also ended his life in March. The pattern of tragedies continued in May, when Krishna Kasera, a second-year dual-degree student (MSc Chemistry & BE Electrical & Instrumentation), was found >Continued on P10 Lisbon’s Glória Funicular derails, 16 dead Page 6 Celebrating knowledge, faith, togetherness with Teachers’ Day, Eid-eMilad and Onam Teachers at the heart of change, guiding with love, resilience Onam spirit blossoms in Goa as Malayali community unites with culture, tradition IN SHORT >> Third drug peddler held in Zuarinagar PANAJI: In a follow-up action into the arrest of a Swiggy delivery agent and his supplier in Zuarinagar, the Anti-Narcotics Cell nabbed a 43-year-old UP native, in possession of 905 grams of ganja. >> See pg 2 VASCO: BITS Pilani has stated that Rishi Nair, a second-year student in the Physics stream who died on Thursday, had been courageously managing a personal health challenge and had been undergoing clinical treatment. “It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic demise of our student, Rishi Nair, a 2nd-year student in the Physics stream, who recently transferred from our Hyderabad campus for one semester. Today, our community was shaken by this tragic incident,” stated BITS Pilani Goa Public Relations Chief Manager Arjun C Halarnkar. “We understand he had been courageously managing a personal health challenge, undergoing clinical treatment of late. His parents also moved to Goa to support him in his >Continued on P10 Rampant India sinks Malaysia, edge closer to Asia Cup final Slips out of even 151-200 rank-band of the overall university category THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Over a month after securing A+ grade in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) ratings, Goa University has failed to find its place in top 200 institutions in India in this year’s National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) declared on Thursday. In fact, the University even slipped out of 151-200 rank-band of the overall University category -- the position where it had stood last year. This is the fourth year in a row that GU did not figure in this elite list even though it managed to retain its place in the 51-100 rank-band among the State Public Universities list. Some prime institutions like Goa College of Pharmacy (89th) and Goa Institute of Management, Sanquelim (43rd) saved the State from embarrassment by securing position in the top 100 in their respective category. Even then, GIM rank dropped to 43rd this year, from 37th it had secured in the NIRF 2024. GIM, the only GOA INSTITUTES IN NIRF RANKING „„Goa College of Pharmacy „„Goa Institute of Management, Sanquelim „„NIT Goa, Cuncolim „„IIT Goa, Farmagudi „„Dhempe College of Arts & Science, Panaji institute to figure in the top 50 in any category scored 55.27 score. On the other hand, Goa College of Pharmacy showed significant improvement in its performance by jumping to 89th position with a score of 42.70, from last year’s 93rd rank. Goa University, which fell from the top 100 in 2021 to the 101-200 band in 2022 in the overall University ranking, had retained the position in 2023 before slipping further into one of the lowest rank-band -- 151-200 in 2024. This year, it is out of that rank-band. Total nine educational institutes from Goa have found place in NIRF 2025 40% GST on casinos sends Goa operators in a tailspin THE GOAN I NETWORK END OF THE LINE: A view of the crash site after the iconic Glória funicular railway car derailed in Lisbon. Portugal declared a day of mourning. Migrant worker’s death triggers health scare at Cutbona jetty THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO Death of a 50-year of migrant worker from Odisha after suffering from diarrhoea has thrown up question over the exact cause of death, triggering scare at the Cutbona fish- ing jetty. A number of suspected diarrhoea cases and one cholera case have been detected amongst migrant workers at the Cutbona fishing jetty so far in the new fishing season that started from August 1. The 50-year old labourer Debachan Kisan, a native of Odisha was declared brought dead at the South Goa district hospital on Thursday. Acting upon information received from the Casualty Police of South District >Continued on P10 PANAJI Wednesday's next-gen GST reforms announced by the GST Council may have brought a cheer to several segments of the commercial world but not for the thriving casino industry in Goa where sources have admitted it has sent top management executives to the drawing room to assess its impact on operations and financials. The GST Council has introduced a new upper limit slab of 40% for luxury and demerit services. The 40 per cent tax will apply on admission to IPL matches, casinos, lotteries, betting, horse racing, gambling, and online money games. Delta Corp chairman Jaydev Mody was reported in the national media saying that the 40% GST will make the entire sector unviable. “It will affect thousands of jobs, affect visitation to the state, will negatively affect revenue collection and make redundant all the capex that has been incurred by the industry,” he added. Shares of Delta Corp tum- 14 GU fails to secure rank in India’s top 200 list OVERALL FOOTFALLS ALSO LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED Page 8 Bad roads: How they affect your car and what drivers can do Refreshed Renault Kiger takes the style game up a notch BITS Pilani: Student was undergoing treatment 11 SPORTS Goa’s hospitality sector upbeat PANAJI: Goa’s hospitality sector has hailed the Goods and Services Tax Council’s decision to cut GST on mid-range hotel rooms, saying it could give a much-needed boost ahead of the official tourist season. Under the revised regime that will come into effect from September 22, hotel rooms priced up to Rs 7,500 per night now attract 5% GST, down from the earlier 12%, whereas rooms above that threshold will continue to draw 18% -- keeping luxury stays firmly in the premium bracket.  >> See pg 5 ON PAGE 5 GCCI WELCOMES ‘FAR-REACHING’ GST REFORMS PHARMA, CONSUMER GOODS SECTOR TO BENEFIT IN GOA: VERNA INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION FADA GOA SAYS REFORMS WILL MAKE VEHICLES MORE AFFORDABLE bled 8 per cent in Thursday's trade after the GST Council’s announcement. Delta Corp is the only listed company engaged in the casino -- live, electronic and online) gaming industry in India. It is also reported that Delta Corp has announced a tempo- rary halt on its ambitious Rs 2,000-2,500 crore integrated resort-cum-casino township at Mopa. Sources in the industry here in Goa told The Goan that the higher tax of 40% will have an >Continued on P10 „„PES College, Ponda „„Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts & Science (Autonomous), Margao „„St Xavier’s College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Mapusa ranking, though none featured among the top 200 in the Overall India Rankings, where IIT Madras topped followed by IISc Bangalore. In the engineering category, NIT Goa (Cuncolim) and IIT Goa (Farmagudi) were placed in the 101–150 rank band. Among general stream colleges, Dempo Charities Trust’s Dhempe College of Arts & Science, Panaji, ranked in the 151–200 band, while PES College (Ponda), Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts & Science (Autonomous), Margao, and St Xavier’s College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Mapusa, were placed in the 201–300 rank band. Truckload of cucumbers discarded at Chimbel THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI People in Chimbel were on Thursday astonished to see cucumbers dumped in the thousands in their locality but it turns out it was produce damaged in transit from the farm to the shelves. According to Chandrahas Desai, the Managing Director of Goa State Horticulture Corporation (GSHL), one of the trucks transporting the cucumber was involved in an accident at Bicholim. "In the melee, the heavy rains damaged the stock of cucumber rendering it unfit for consumption," Desai said, adding that it was therefore dumped on a plot in Chimbel where there are pits. He said, these rejected vegetables as a matter of routine are recycled after composting as manure. Two years ago a similar incident where large quantities of cucumber was dumped in a quarry had surfaced around Ganesh Chaturthi time at Sanguem. At the time, Agriculture Department officials had ruled out the produce belonging to local farmers. Amthane dam gate construction Govt waives minimum water charges for households KEY PROVISIONS OF THE ORDER drags on, water scarcity looms THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The delay in the construction of the new gate at Amthane Dam, despite assurances to complete the works by July-end, has once again fuelled fears of another water crisis in several talukas that faced acute shortages during the summer months. Sources in the Water Resources Department revealed to The Goan that the delay is allegedly being worsened by management M A N AGEMEN T FI A SCO „„Sources revealed that there is no full-time Superintending Engineer-I monitoring the site „„Additional Chief Engineer is already overburdened and inexperienced gaps. “There is no fulltime Superintending Engineer-I monitoring the site. The Additional in this type of work „„Executive Engineer is handling responsibilities for both Works Division V & VI, while an Assistant Engineer is reportedly irregular Chief Engineer, who holds the additional charge, is >Continued on P10 MAPUSA n a significant relief for households across the State, the government has decided to exempt domestic consumers from paying the minimum contract demand of 16 cubic metres (m³) per month for water supply. With effect from September 1, individual domestic connections will now be billed strictly on the basis of actual water consumption, along with the applicable meter rent. The decision, announced through a notification issued by Chief Engineer Subhash I „„Individual domestic consumers: Households with functional water meters will be billed as per actual monthly consumption, in addition to meter rent. „„Common water connections: Connections shared by two or more houses, as well as all other categories of consumers, will Belgaonkar of the Department of Drinking Water (DDW), modifies the earlier order issued in 2020 by the Principal Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD). Under the earlier system, even if houses remained continue to be billed as per the minimum contract demand or actual consumption, whichever is applicable under the prevailing water tariff. „„Mandatory metering: The benefit of actual billing will apply only to domestic consumers with functional water meters. locked for months with no water consumption, consumers were compelled to pay a minimum bill equivalent to 16 m³ every month. This practice, which had long been criticised by citizens as unfair, effectively penalised households that used little or no water. Explaining the new measure, Belgaonkar said, “Now, people will be billed on the amount of water that is actually used. This will give relief to the common man, especially those who keep their houses closed for long periods or consume very little water.” RELIEF FOR RESIDENTS The new billing system is expected to benefit Goan households, particularly those with low or water use, including families working abroad and senior citizens living alone. For such households, paying for unused water every month had been a major grievance. The revised billing structure will come into effect from September 1, giving the PWD and DDW time to ensure that domestic water meters are functional across households.