log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY DECEMBER 6, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 169 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 5 13 3 10 Passengers bear brunt, over Travel chaos reigns supreme, 3,000 stranded at Dabolim IndiGo cancels 1,000 flights 31 flights cancelled, police deployed Child protection system in Goa stagnates as posts remain vacant GOA Khola locals foil ‘kidnap’ attempts; file complaint against 3 Telangana ‘cops’ NEW DELHI IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday and said operations are expected to normalise in the next 10 days even as disruptions impacted thousands of passengers for four straight days. As a large number of flights got cancelled and delayed, chaos continued at major airports across the country, with frustrated passengers scrambling for updates and searching for their baggage. Many passengers vented out their anger on social media, and airfares also sailed northwards for many routes. The operations of IndiGo, which controls about twothirds of the country's domestic traffic and generally operates around 2,300 flights daily, failed to plan properly for the new flight duty norms that provide for increased rest periods and lesser night landings. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has constituted a four-member panel Aviation watchdog eases flight duty regulations for pilots NEW DELHI: Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources. As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, “no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest”, which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots. Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision ''no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest'' from the FDTL norms. to ascertain the reasons that have led to the disruptions and also said that prima facie, the situation indicates deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness, and compliance planning, “warranting an independent examination”. The FDTL relaxations have been provided for only IndiGo's A320 family planes, which account for the majority of its fleet, till February 10, 2026, officials said. “This exemption has been granted solely to facilitate operational stabilisation and in no way amounts to dilution of safety requirements. During this period, DGCA would review after every fifteen days, the action taken by IndiGo to address the sit- Sets bad precedent, says pilots’ body NEW DELHI: Pilots' body Airlines' Pilots Association (ALPA) India took 'strong' objection to DGCA's 'selective and unsafe' relief to IndiGo, amid widescale cancellations. In a letter to the DGCA on Friday, ALPA-India said the decision not only sets a 'dangerous precedent' but also undermines the very principle and purpose of the civil aviation requirement under which the norms have been formulated. uation including hiring of adequate crew to ensure FDTL compliance,” the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. On a day when IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Friday said the situation is anticipated to normalise between December 10-15. In his first video message UK minister lauds Goans for vital contribution to society Feast of St Francis Xavier celebrated across the world THE GOAN I NETWORK IN SHORT >> Seniority list: SC upholds HC order PANAJI: The Supreme Court dismissed a Special Leave Petition filed by inspectors of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), effectively upholding a High Court of Bombay at Goa ruling that struck down a combined seniority list which had placed IRB inspectors above the Goa Police Inspectors from the 2002 batch.   >> See pg 3 Minor kidnapped from rail station VASCO: A minor girl was reported kidnapped from Vasco railway station. The girl’s mother lodged a complaint stating that an unknown person had taken the child from her guardianship. Following the complaint, Vasco Railway Police registered an offence. since the disruptions began, Elbers apologised for the major inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the disruptions. “Regrettably, earlier measures of the last few days have proven not to be enough. So we decided today for a reboot of all our systems and schedules, resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far, but imperative for progressive improvements starting tomorrow onwards. “With these actions, we expect tomorrow to have cancellations below 1,000. The support of DGCA is of great help,” Elbers said. The issue of IndiGo flight disruptions was also raised in the Parliament. The civil aviation ministry has taken urgent and proactive measures to address the ongoing disruption in flight schedules, particularly those of Indigo airlines, Naidu said in a statement. “The Flight Duty Time Limitations orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect,” he said. Major recruitment drive; over 200 posts up for grabs Page 6 & 7 MANDOVI MAYHEM: Vehicles lined up on the Mandovi Bridge following a multi-vehicle collision on Friday. Traffic movement on both sides of the bridge was thrown out of gear for several hours. (Report on pg 3)  Narayan Pissurlenkar Poll office seeks info to weed out Goans who gave up citizenship THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has written to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and the Regional Passport Office (RPO) seeking details of Goans who are no longer Indian citizens but continue to remain on the State’s voter list. In separate communication, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer has written to the FRRO and the RPO, requesting updated records of individuals who have surrendered their Indian passports and acquired foreign ones. Citing Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the CEO’s office stressed that only Indian citizens are eligible to be enrolled as voters, and anyone who ceases to be a citizen must be removed from the electoral roll. The letter specifically asks both agencies to share, “at the earliest,” details of Goans who >Continued on P9 All eyes on Rohit and Kohli as India fights to save series Ageing skin? Homemade packs for youthful skin  TENSE MOMENTS AS FRUSTATED FLYERS VENT OUT ANGER  AIRFARES SOAR  NORMALCY EXPECTED IN 10 DAYS PTI SPORTS INFO PANAJI The Goa State Staff Selection Commission (GSSSC) has announced a major recruitment drive, opening up more than 200 permanent vacancies across a range of government departments. According to the Commission, the recruitment process will cover several key administrative and technical roles that have remained vacant for some time. Among the posts advertised are 30 Talathi positions, 26 Village Panchayat Secretary posts, 12 Accounts Clerk posts, 27 Investigator posts and 46 Laboratory Assistant posts, in addition to a number of other departmental vacancies. The Commission has invited applications from eligible candidates and has urged applicants to carefully follow the guidelines and deadlines specified in the official notification. In an Office Memorandum that was issued last month, Under Secretary Siddhesh Shetkar had directed all government departments to furnish details of vacancies to be filled over the next year by January 31, 2026. THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO A day after a series of cancellations disrupted operations at Dabolim Airport, the situation escalated on Friday as IndiGo cancelled 31 flights across major domestic sectors, leaving more than 3,000 passengers stranded and triggering tense scenes at the Dabolim Airport. The cancellations, affecting key routes such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other important sectors, created severe travel disruptions from early morning and continued through the day. Passengers arriving at the airport expecting regular departures were met with sudden cancellation notices, long queues and overflowing crowds at the IndiGo helpdesk. As the airline struggled to manage or accommodate passengers on alternate flights, the mounting frustration resulted in heated arguments, emotional breakdowns and a visible sense of helplessness, especially among senior citizens and families with young children. The IndiGo service counter witnessed a chaotic rush, with serpentine queues stretching across the airport area. Air- Passengers queue up at the Indigo helpdesk at the Goa International Airport in Dabolim. IndiGo flights disrupted at Mopa PERNEM: Hundreds of passengers were affected following a disruption in a number of IndiGo flights at the Manohar International Airport in Mopa. IndiGo flight operations at Mopa Airport were disrupted as flights connecting various destinations such as Hyderabad, Chennai and Vadodara were cancelled, prompting frustration and anger among the passengers. port staff was seen repeatedly urging passengers to stay calm, but the tension only grew as more flights were added to the cancellation list. With space rapidly filling up with the swelling crowd, authorities requested police assistance to prevent any untoward incident, prompting deployment of police personnel and additional CISF near the terminal to ensure the sit- uation remained under control. Officers were seen pacifying agitated groups and guiding stranded travellers towards designated waiting zones. ORDEAL, ANGER Many passengers said they had received no prior intimation from the airline, leaving >Continued on P9 Congress-RGP alliance for ZP elections hits dead end  CONG NOW OPTIMISTIC ON TIE-UP WITH GFP THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The much-anticipated alliance between the Congress and the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) for the upcoming Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections has officially fallen apart. Fresh lists of candidates released by both parties on Friday confirmed that they will compete against each other in multiple constituencies, signalling that negotiations for a unified front have completely failed. Despite the setback, the Congress remains optimistic about finalising an understanding with the Goa Forward Party (GFP), led by Vijai Sardesai. AICC Goa in-charge Manikrao Thakare is expected to visit the State on Saturday to take a final decision in this regard. His arrival on Friday was delayed due to nationwide flight disruptions affecting IndiGo. GPCC president Amit Patkar said that the Congress, GFP and RGP had originally agreed to come together RGP releases second list for ZP MAPUSA: The Revolutionary Goans Party on Friday delivered yet another blow to the already faltering opposition alliance talks, releasing its second list of Zilla Panchayat (ZP) candidates. The latest announcement includes candidates in several constituencies where the Congress had already named its nominees earlier this week, making it clear that the parties are now moving independently.  >> See pg 2 Is the door still open? RGP silence leaves alliance question hanging >> See pg 2 to counter the BJP. However, during seat-sharing talks, each party put forth its own demands, and the discussions could not reach a conclusion. “Seat-sharing is still undecided as we are evaluating winability. Our AICC leader will be arriving tomorrow, and the final call will be taken,” Patkar said. The Congress has already declared 22 candidates and is preparing to announce 23 more, including those in constituencies identified for a possible alliance with GFP. Patkar stressed that the party has refrained from naming candidates in areas where negotiations with GFP are still ongoing. The collapse of the Congress-RGP alliance became unmistakable when the RGP released its second list, featuring nominees in constituencies where Congress candidates had already been declared. In retaliation, Congress decided to field its own >Continued on P9 Modi, Putin unveil 5-yr strategic RBI rate cut to make home, auto loans affordable RBI’S RATE CUT BOOSTER DOSE roadmap despite US pressure PTI BOTH COUNTRIES SIGN ELEVEN AGREEMENTS PTI NEW DELHI India and Russia on Friday unveiled a raft of measures including a five-year roadmap to build a robust economic partnership and address New Delhi's concerns over trade deficit even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to President Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine must be brought to an end through peaceful means. Significantly widening the economic partnership, in a shift from cooperation in traditional domains of oil and defence, notwithstanding mounting Western pressure on New Delhi to scale down its engagement with Moscow was the centrepiece of summit talks between Modi and Putin. Following the summit, the two leaders demonstrated their strong resolve to give a new momentum to the over eight-decades-old India-Russia friendship with the prime minister saying that it remained steadfast like a “guid- ing star”. Putin said Russia is ready to provide “uninterrupted shipments” of fuel to India, in remarks that came against the backdrop of mounting American pressure on New Delhi. The two sides signed a total of 11 agreements including one on movement of skilled workers from India to Russia. The pacts will provide for cooperation in areas of shipping, fertilisers, healthcare, scientific research, and people-to-people exchanges. NEW DELHI ome, auto and other loans are likely to cost less as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday cut key benchmark interest rate for the first time in six months and vowed to provide Rs 1 lakh crore liquidity boost to banking sector to support a “goldilocks” economy in the face of high US tariffs. The six-member monetary policy committee, led by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, voted unanimously to lower the repurchase or repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent and retained a neutral stance, which gave room for further H „„Provides support to an economy weakened by the 50% US tariff on Indian goods „„Helps counter the dip in exports, widening trade deficit, and record-low rupee „„Supplements gov- ernment measures like major GST reforms, relaxed labour rules, and eased financial regulations „„Lowers borrowing costs for individuals and companies by reducing banks’ cost of funds „„Leads to reduced lend- ing rates, making home, auto loans cheaper „„Reduces EMIs, encouraging higher borrowing and spending „„Boosts consumer demand, business investment, and overall economic activity rate cuts. The step is being seen as lending support to the economy that has been hit hard by the steep 50 per cent tariff US President Donald Trump slapped on Indian goods. The move had already led to a dip in export and widening of trade deficit as well as pushed rupee to a record low. RBI's move will supplement efforts in lending support to the economy in form of biggest GST reforms, relaxing labour rules and easing financial sector regulations. A cut in the repo rate will lead to lower borrowing costs for individuals as well as corporate because it reduces the interest banks pay to borrow from the RBI. With cheaper funding, banks can lower lending rates such as MCLR and base rates, making home, auto, and business loans more affordable. This reduces EMIs, encourages consumers and businesses to borrow more, and supports economic activity. The RBI also reiterated its commitment to providing adequate liquidity to the banking system as it announced intent to conduct open market purchases of government bonds up to Rs 1 lakh crore in two tranches of Rs 50,000 crore each on 11th and 18th December and a buy-sell swap of USD 5 bn on 16th December.