log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 104 Instagram.com/thegoanonline ICC Women’s WC: India beats Sri Lanka by 59 runs  Pg 14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 CBC 15502/13/0029/2526 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan Cabinet approves 2014 rates for legalising unauthorised houses उदो बोला उदो शांतादुरागा माऊलीचा हो । उदोकार ररगाती काय महहमा वर्गा ततचा हो ।। CIRCLE RATES TO DETERMINE COST OF STRUCTURES ON GOVT, COMUNIDADE LAND THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa cabinet on Tuesday approved the 2014 notified circle rates as the base to calculate land costs to be paid by beneficiaries whose houses are to be regularised in government and comunidade land across the State. Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant who chaired the cabinet meeting said the proposal stipulates that for houses existing prior to 1972 and figuring on survey maps of that year will be charged at the rate of Rs 25 per square meter irrespective of the circle rates. Sawant said, for homes built from 1973 to 1986, 50 per cent of the 2014-notified circle rate will apply and 75 per cent of the circle rate will be used to calculate the fees to be paid by those who >> pg 6 Work meets leisure: The rise of co-working in Goa IN SHORT >> Railways get nod for handling iron ore at Kalem yard PANAJI: In a major setback to the locals, the State Board of Wildlife (SBWL) has granted its consent to the South Western Railways (SWR) for handling iron ore from the Kalem railway yard located in the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. >> See pg 3 Mahatma’s statue vandalised in UK LONDON: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi in London’s Tavistock Square was vandalised just days ahead of his birth anniversary on October 2. The High Commission of India has strongly condemned the incident, calling it a “shameful act” and an assault on the legacy of nonviolence. OLD HOMES, NEW RULES „„Houses existing before 1972 will be charged Rs 25 per sq mt „„Houses built between 1973 and 1986 will be charged 50% of the minimum circle rate per sq mt. „„Houses built between 1987 and 2000 will be charged 75% of the minimum circle rate per sq mt „„Houses built between 2001 and 2014 will have to pay 100% of the circle land rates „„For encroachments on comunidade land an additional 20% of the total plot value will have to be paid ASSAGAO COMUNIDADE OPPOSES REGULARISATION OF ILLEGAL STRUCTURES, PLANS TO FILE PETITION IN HC >> See pg 2 built houses between 1987 and 2000. For houses built on government and comunidade land between 2001 to 2014, the cost of earning the ‘Class I Occupancy’ rights for the land up to 300 square meters on which the structure is built will be 100 per cent of the circle land rates, he added. Under the amendments to the Land Revenue Code and the Code of Comunidades enacted in the monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, the State government has provided to grant ‘Class I Occupancy’ rights to those owning illegal homes on government and comunidade lands. The illegal house owners, however, will have to pay for the land of the size of the plint and a little more on all sides but not more than 300 square meters, which will then be transferred in their names with a sanad issued for ‘Class I Occupancy’. Also, land occupied in excess of 300 square meters up to two meters on all sides of the plinth area will also be granted but in access of that occupied by the beneficiary encroacher will have to be forfeited either to the government or the comunidade whichever the case may be. Tuesday’s cabinet decision also provides to levy an additional 20 per cent of the total plot value as penalty for encroachers on comunidade land. Kankonkar refusing to give his statement, reveal cops n SAY VISITING HIM EVERY DAY IN HOSPITAL n REFUSED TO TESTIFY BEFORE SDM TOO THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Amid birthday cake and a regular flow of political leaders, activist Rama Kankonkar marked his birthday inside the private ward of Goa Medical College on Monday. But his celebrations have triggered sharp questions about whether he is fit enough to attend to visitors, and why his statement is still not recorded in the criminal case of the brutal attack on him. The Scheduled Tribe leader has been admitted for 13 days after an assault that led Panaji police to register attempt-to-murder charges against eight persons including seven history-sheeters. Among them is Zenito Cardozo, all of whom are now in judicial custody. Police sources have conceded that Kankonkar’s statement is yet to be recorded, but also cited the rea- No health excuse to avoid probe: Docs PANAJI: GMC doctors, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that Rama Kankonkar’s health condition does not hinder participation in the ongoing probe. “If he were unfit, no visitors other than family members would be allowed,” a doctor said, noting that political leaders and supporters have been able to meet him without restrictions. son. “We have been visiting Kankonkar almost daily to record his statement. It is crucial for our probe. But he has been refusing to give his statement,” a senior officer told The Goan. It is reliably learnt that the investigation team even sought a dying declaration through the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, citing claims by the family that Kankonkar was critical. “The SDM agreed, but Kankonkar once again refused to testify,” the officer added. Yet, Kankonkar’s wife, Rati, has insisted – through the media -- that her husband is in no position to speak. On Monday, she urged Goa Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju’s intervention to ensure a free and fair investigation. “He is weak and not able to give a statement. He has a blood clot in his brain and is unable to move,” she maintained publicly. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met Kankonkar in the GMC shortly after the September 18 assault, while Opposition leaders also made a bee line since then.  Also, the money paid by the encroachers under this provision will have to be directly deposited with the respective comunidade. Additionally, encroachers will have to seek an NOC from the comunidade. Also, in the case of encroachments on comunidade land, the encroachers will have to seek an NOC from the managing committee, Sawant said, adding that the law provides a process by which the Administrator will adjudicate and proclaim the NOC to be deemed as granted. Sawant also said that applications under this ‘Mhaje Ghar’ scheme will be required to be filed in the next six months from the day it is launched. Meanwhile, the government will also issue to those having houses in the Evacuee property कळं गुट येथील मंदिरात सजवले ली श्री शांतादर्गा कळं र्ुटकरीण ु >Continued on P8 9 workers killed as building at TN power plant site collapses PTI CHENNAI Nine migrant workers died after an under-construction building collapsed at the Ennore thermal power station here on Tuesday, police said. Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed sadness over the death of 9 people and conveyed condolences. “I am deeply saddened to hear that nine workers from Assam lost their lives in an accident that occurred during the construction work carried out by BHEL in Ennore. I convey my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” he said in a social media post on Tuesday. The CM ordered Minister for Electricity SS Sivasankar and senior IAS officer and TANGEDCO Chairman K Radhakrishnan to immediately oversee relief work at the accident site. Stalin announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of each deceased and ordered that steps be taken to transport the mortal remains to their home state. Unity Mall, Shivaji Museum: 292 trees cleared for cutting TREES TO BE CUT WITHIN 30 DAYS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State Forest Department has issued an order allowing felling of 292 trees for two major tourism projects -- Unity Mall at Chimbel and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum at Bandora in Ponda. The trees would be axed within 30 days. Following recommendation from the State Tree Authority (STA), the Deputy Conservator of Forest, North Goa, on September 23, issued order to fell 195 trees for the development of Museum and another 97 for Unity Mall project. GREEN COVER PAYS PRICE „„195 trees to be felled for the construction work of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum at Bandora „„97 trees to make way for the Unity Mall project at Chimbel „„GTDC has paid tree felling and security deposit of Rs 6.63 lakh towards the museum project and Rs 3.29 lakh for Unity Mall As per the order, the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) -- the project implementing agency -- has paid tree felling and security deposit of Rs 6.63 lakh towards Museum project and Rs 3.29 lakh for Unity Mall. The Forest Department has directed the project propo- nent to plant 826 tall saplings to compensate for the loss of tree cover. The saplings with good endurance with minimum 8-10 feet height have to be planted towards compensatory afforestation. For the Shivaji Museum >Continued on P8 24-hour LPG delivery Suryakumar plays Asia Cup controversies with a straight bat could soon be reality THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI NEW DELHI Long waiting queues and frustrating delays in cooking gas deliveries could soon become a thing of the past, with the government on Monday proposing guaranteed 24-hour delivery of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refills for consumers. Under the new framework proposed by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), if a consumer’s primary distributor is unable to deliver an LPG cylinder within 24 hours of booking, the nearest distributor -- regardless of the company -- would complete the delivery as part of a ‘cross-public sector undertaking service mechanism’. This will be the first time in the country that consumers can switch between companies for LPG cylinder delivery. ‘This revolutionary approach transforms three separate distribution silos into one unified national LPG service system,’ PNGRB said in a statement. The LPG Interoperable Service Delivery Framework will provide a 24-hour delivery guarantee under a strict timeline, replacing the current 48-hour norm, along with automatic cross-company service activation after 24 hours. PANAJI aving led India to a historic win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup Finals on Sunday, T20 Captain Suryakumar Yadav said the focus of the Indian cricket team has been to play fearless cricket and admitted the challenge in selecting the final 11 due to the abundance of talent and quality. In an exclusive interview with Prudent TV after attending the inauguration of the ‘1919 Sportz Cricket Stadium’ at Verna IDC in Loutolim on Tuesday, Suryakumar Yadav said winning the Asia Cup was a great feeling. “There was a rousing welcome for the team when the players landed in Mumbai,” H SURYAKUMAR UNPLUGGED: India’s Asia Cup winning captain Suryakumar Yadav in an exclusive chat with Prudent Media Editorial Director Pramod Acharya. said Yadav. Commenting on the Asia Cup, Yadav said the main objective of the Indian cricket team was to play fearless cricket. “There was no place for a conservative approach. We fo- cused on playing good cricket and played a fearless brand of cricket.” “The biggest takeaway was the positive attitude of the players, both on and off the field. The chemistry of the players was excellent on the ground, which is why we won the tournament.” To another query, Yadav said the turning point in the Asia Cup finals was Tilak Varma, who showed composure and absorbed pressure. “Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube handled the pressure well and achieved the required target,” said Yadav. “We focused on playing good cricket. I had full trust in my players and had good backing from BCCI.” Yadav said his decision to donate his match fees to the armed forces and the Pahalgam victims was taken while he was sitting in the dressing room before going to meet the press. Responding to a query on his own form, Yadav said, “Although I have not scored runs, I am not out of form. I am out of runs. There is no reason to worry, as other players are scoring runs. Still, it is necessary for the captain to score runs for the team,” admitted Yadav. The Indian T20 captain praised the abundance of talented cricketers in India. “India currently has many talented cricketers. Selecting the final eleven is a challenge. This time too, there were hours of discussions before the final team selection. The Indian team is quite strong, and considering the bench strength >Continued on P8