log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY DECEMBER 27, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 189 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 Arpora tragedy: Inquiry report nails failures of multiple depts GOA Two years after blaze, Margao markets get hydrants, but safety gaps remain GOA Agriculture: Year of policy shifts, climate challenges, farmer resilience INFO Low Glycemic Index foods for diabetes management SPOTLIGHT ON ARPORA PANCHAYAT OVER KEY APPROVALS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government-appointed Magisterial Inquiry Committee, headed by the North Goa Collector, has submitted its report on the tragic fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora that claimed 25 lives on the night of December 6. The report, submitted to the Chief Secretary on December 23, has exposed serious lapses by multiple government departments in the grant of permissions and clearances to the establishment. BIRCH FIRE PROBE REPORT IN, WILL GOVT TAKE ACTION?  >> See Edit pg 4 According to sources familiar with the findings, the committee has zeroed in on the Arpora village panchayat, which played a pivotal role in issuing key approvals, including the trade licence, repair licence, No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for water and power page 6 Goan to head Business Circle International for UK, Europe Goan Chaplaincy hosts carol presentation in London Facilitators trained to help people for Synodal Church IN SHORT >> Tax exemption for mining vehicles PANAJI: The government has exempted mining vehicles, registered with the Department of Mines, from October 2020 to March 31, 2025 from payment of motor vehicle tax provided the vehicles are continued to be owned by the respective owner. A notification has been issued by Director Transport Kedar Naik. >> See pg 3 Road rage at Verna: Car driver booked VASCO: A road accident at a three-road junction near Maharaja Hotel, Verna, on December 24 escalated into a violent confrontation after a car driver allegedly assaulted and threatened a scooter rider with a knife before fleeing the scene.  >> See pg 2 BIRCH FIRE: SYSTEMIC FAILURE EXPOSED „„Arpora panchayat played central role by issuing key approvals such as trade & repair licences, NOCs for water & power, health certificates „„Initial approvals became basis for permissions granted later by other authorities „„Responsibility fixed on depts including Revenue, Panchayat, TCP, Health, and Fire & Emergency Services „„Disciplinary action, possible criminal liability recommended against concerned officers „„Serious lapses noted in functioning of Arpora p’yat, particularly the issuing of licences, NOCs without proper site verification „„Inquiry questioned whether mandatory inspections were conducted and statutory norms followed „„Committee recommends corrective, preventive measures, with emphasis on better inter-departmental coordination to prevent recurrence connections, health certificate and other initial permissions. These approvals, the report notes, formed the basis on which several other authorities subsequently granted permissions to the club. Apart from Arpora panchayat, the report has reportedly fixed responsibility on some key departments -- Revenue, Panchayat, TCP, Health, Fire and Emergency Services, among others, while recommending disciplinary proceedings and possible criminal liability against the officers. The four-member committee was constituted on December 8 and was initially directed to submit its findings within eight days. However, the panel was granted an additional week to complete verification of documents and to continue examination of officials linked to the case. The committee ultimately submitted its report on December 23. Apart from the North Goa Collector, the inquiry panel comprised Superintendent of File property info on time, Centre tells IAS officers WARNS OF ACTION, DENIAL OF PROMOTION PTI NEW DELHI The Centre has asked all Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers to file their property details in time or face action including disciplinary proceedings and denial of promotion, according to an official communique. All IAS officers are required to submit the annual Immovable Property Return (IPR) by January 31 of the next year. “Failure on part of the members of the service to comply with the requirements of the aforesaid provisions constitutes good and sufficient reason for, inter alia, institution of disciplinary proceedings against them,” said the communique issued by the Ministry of Personnel. Further, rules have been amended to make the timely filing of IPR mandatory for being considered for appointment to the next level of pay matrix, it said. The Department of Personnel and Training had introduced online filing of IPR in CENTRE’S DIKTAT TO IAS OFFICERS „„All IAS officers must submit annual immovable property return by January 31, 2026 „„Non-submission to be treated as a valid ground for initiating disciplinary proceedings „„Timely filing of IPR mandatory for being considered for appointment to the next level in pay matrix „„Online IPR filing to be by SPARROW module „„Officers may submit IPR electronically or by uploading a scanned copy of manually filled form „„Online module to automatically close after January 31, 2026 for calendar year 2025 „„Secretaries, CSs directed to ensure all IAS officers file IPR on time respect of IAS officers with effect from January, 2017 through SPARROW module. “It is indeed a matter of immense satisfaction that the officers are submitting their IPR either electronically or uploading a scanned copy of the manually filled-in IPR, over the years,” said the communique dated December 23, sent to secretaries of central government departments and chief secretaries of all states. This online module will close automatically after the prescribed timeline i.e. January 31, 2026 in respect of the calendar year 2025, it said. All secretaries and chief secretaries have been asked to issue instructions to IAS officers to file property details in time, the communique said. Police (South) Tikam Singh Verma, Director of Forensic Sciences Ashutosh Apte and Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services Rajendra Haldankar. The panel was tasked with reconstructing the sequence of events leading to the deadly incident and placing responsibility on departments or agencies found accountable. Sources said the committee has raised serious questions about the functioning of the Arpora panchayat, particularly the grant of licences and NOCs allegedly without proper site verification. The inquiry reportedly examined whether mandatory inspections were carried out and if statutory norms were adhered to before approvals were issued. It has recommended corrective and preventive measures, especially inter-departmental coordination, to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future. During the course of the probe, the committee >Continued on P5 Indian student shot dead near Toronto varsity PTI TORONTO A 20-year-old Indian doctoral student was shot dead near the University of Toronto Scarborough campus in Canada, with authorities probing the case as a homicide, officials said. The shooting took place on Tuesday, and the Toronto police on Wednesday identified the victim as Shivank Avasthi, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Police were called to the area of Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road at about 3:30 pm on Tuesday for a report of an injured person lying on the ground, Inspector Jeff Allington told reporters. A person walking through the woods discovered the victim on a paved trail and called 911, Allington said. When officers arrived, they found a person with a gunshot wound. That person was pronounced dead at the scene, the report added. “Our immediate focus is on preserving evidence, determining what happened and notifying this individual’s next of kin”, inspector Allington said. 9 SPORTS Shafali, Renuka, Deepti shine as India sweeps Sri Lanka 12 Board’s new plan for Std 9: Schools to set own papers n BOARD TO CONDUCT EVALUATION, WARNS OF ACTION IF PAPERS DON’T FOLLOW BLUEPRINT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a significant shift in the conduct of Grade 9 examinations, the Goa Board has asked each school to set its own question papers for the upcoming Semester II examination, scheduled to commence on March 4, 2026. However, the Board will evaluate the answer papers and marking schemes after the examination. SEMESTER II EXAMINATION GBSHSE has warned of action against the teacher or headmaster if the question papers are found to be sub-standard or not in accordance with the blueprint. This year marks the second year of implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for Grade 9. While the Board had set question papers for both semesters last academic year, it framed only the Semester I papers this year, leaving Semester II paper-setting to the schools. SEMESTER II: CLASS 9 ROADMAP „„Question papers to be set as per blueprint on Board’s official website „„Question papers, marking schemes to be submitted in sealed envelopes, subject-wise, within five days after exams „„Committee to examine question papers, marking schemes for adherence to blueprint „„Discrepancies to be communicated to schools for future remedial measures „„Mandatory for head of institution to conduct exams in halls with CCTV cameras „„Students unable to attend exams due to sports events to be eligible for supplementary exams “Question paper for the Semester II examination for Grade 9 is to be set by the respective schools for their students as per the Blueprint available on the official website of the Board under study material,” Goa Board secretary Vidhyadatta Naik said in the circular issued.  The Board has said that the question paper/marking scheme has to be submitted to them in the sealed envelope, separately for each subject, within five days from the completion of the Semester II examination. The examination ends on March 12. The Board has decided to constitute a committee to thoroughly scrutinize the question paper and marking scheme as per the Blueprint. “If discrepancies are noticed, the same will be communicated to the concerned >Continued on P5 Lawyers must be trained for emerging cyber crimes: CJI MOOTS NATIONAL LEGAL ACADEMY FOR ADVOCATES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant expressed serious concern about the legal profession’s readiness to tackle rapidly evolving cyber crimes, noting that traditional legal education is no longer adequate to address contemporary challenges. Drawing a comparison with judicial training, he suggested setting up a National Legal Academy for advocates, on the lines of the National Judicial Academy for judges. Speaking at the inaugural session of the Bar Council of India’s National Conference and Symposium on Mediation at the India International University of Legal Education and Research in South Goa on Friday, the CJI said technology, while assisting legal professionals, has also given rise to entirely new forms of crime. “Technology is helping professionals, including legal professionals, but at the same time, it is leading to new kinds of crimes. Cybercrimes that were previously unheard of CJI KANT: FUTURE PERFECT „„Tech helping professionals, including lawyers, but also creating new types of crime „„Cybercrimes now emerging rapidly „„Criminals constantly innovating new, sophisticated methods „„Challenge of cybercrime will become more serious in future „„Cases like ‘digital arrest’ and cyber fraud increasing „„Lawyers must be adequately trained to handle cybercrime cases are emerging, and criminals are constantly innovating new methods. The challenges will only become larger and more serious in the days to come,” Justice Kant said. Referring to cases such as “digital arrest” and other cyber frauds, he questioned whether members of the Bar are adequately equipped to advise and represent victims of such crimes. “When you deal with a victim of a cyber crime, are you professionally equipped to handle that challenge? This is something I have been seriously thinking about these days,” he noted. Justice Kant pointed out that advocates today are increasingly required to play multiple roles, not just as legal representatives but also as advisors and informal mediators. “You are an advocate, you are an advisor to your litigant, and sometimes you also become partially a mediator by helping bring parties closer to dispute resolution. That itself is a part of your professional training,” he said. However, he stressed that short-term training programmes are inadequate to prepare lawyers for complex, technology-driven disputes. >Continued on P5 Human rights body intervenes in UK docs raise alarm on India’s air pollution crisis WHAT DOCTORS SAY ON AIR POLLUTION Socorro panchayat eviction case PTI ISSUES NOTICE TO SECY, SEEKS REPLY BY JAN 6 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has taken suo-motu cognizance of the seven-day eviction notice issued by Socorro Panchayat to the family of Allabhaksh Goususab Saiyydabade, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a six-year old girl. The Commission has accordingly issued notice to the panchayat secretary to be replied by January 6, 2026. The Secretary is required to remain present at the next hearing, either in person or through his representative. The news of the accused being arrested for heinous crime had angered the residents, who demanded that the accused and his family be evicted from the area.  Accordingly, the panchayat  decided to serve a notice to Allabhaksh Saiyyadabade, asking him to vacate the house. The notice posted on the house states: “You are hereby directed to vacate the premises as a precautionary measure to avoid any such untoward incident occurring where you and your family are residing in the premises at the 20 Point Programme at Socorro. You are, therefore, directed to vacate the premises within a period of seven days from the date of receipt of this notice, failing which strict action will be initiated against you and your family.” The accused was engaged as a driver to pick up and drop children at school. >Continued on P5 NEW DELHI ir pollution is arguably the biggest public health crisis India has faced since the pandemic and will continue to worsen each year unless urgent action is taken, a UK-based Indian-origin pulmonologist warned, noting that a looming tsunami of airway disease remains largely underdiagnosed and untreated. Speaking to PTI, multiple senior doctors practising in the UK asserted that a vast, hidden burden of undiagnosed airway disease is “building beneath the surface” and its incoming wave will exact a heavy, lasting A „„A large, hidden burden of undiagnosed airway disease is building in India „„Current health response addresses only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ „„Long-term damage has already occurred for millions „„Prolonged exposure to polluted air has triggered growing lung health emergency „„Strong scientific evidence connecting air pollution to cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological diseases „„Early symptoms (headaches, fatigue, mild cough, throat irritation, eye dryness) often ignored „„Urge early detection, treatment of airway diseases „„Call for a dedicated rapid ‘lung health task group’ in India toll on Indian citizens and its healthcare system. They linked the global rise in cardiovascular diseases over the past decade to increasing exposure to toxic emissions from urban trans- port, including automobiles and aircraft, particularly in cities across India, the UK and beyond, rather than obesity. During the recently concluded winter session of Parliament, the govt said that there is no conclusive data establishing a direct correlation between higher Air Quality Index levels and lung diseases. “The Indian government’s renewed focus on controlling air pollution is necessary and overdue. However, it is time to confront an uncomfortable truth: for millions living in North India, the damage has already been done. What is currently being managed represents only the tip of the iceberg. A vast, hidden burden of undiagnosed airway disease is building beneath the surface,” Consultant Pulmonologist in Liverpool and a former Covid-19 Advisory Committee Member of India’s Health, Manish Gautam, told PTI. He cautioned that years of exposure mean that a lung health emergency is unfolding, while urging the policymakers to focus on early detection and treatment of airway diseases, and consider establishing a rapid “lung health task group”.