log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY JANUARY 12, 2026 GOA Q3 earnings, US tariffs, FIIs, rupee, global tensions to drive D-Street IN SHORT >> Chimbel residents seek MLA’s stand on Unity Mall PANAJI: Chimbel villagers escalated their agitation against the proposed Unity Mall project on Sunday as hundreds of villagers marched to the residence of St Cruz MLA Rudolf Fernandes, staging a dharna and demanding his unequivocal support for scrapping the project.  >> See pg 3 AAP names Valmiki as Goa president PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced a new leadership team for its Goa unit, renewing its push to strengthen its organizational base. The party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) has appointed Valmiki Naik as State President, entrusting him with the responsibility of steering AAP’s political strategy in Goa.  >> See pg 3 Foiled robbery leaves Parra locals on edge MAPUSA: A late-night attempted robbery at a Parra residence on Saturday heightened local fears. Three to four men tried to break in around 10.30 pm but fled after the family’s daughter raised an alarm. No one was harmed, and the suspects remain unidentified, police said.  >> See pg 3 2 held for organising bull fight in Morjim PANAJI: Mandrem Police arrested two men from West Bengal, for allegedly organising a bull fight at Kattewada, Morjim, Pernem, for betting and personal gain. The fight, held at 7 am on Sunday, involved inciting the bulls to fight, constituting animal cruelty. Ratan Darjee (41) and Karan Bhuinya (29) were later released on bail, police said. Simplified I-T Act from April 1 NEW DELHI: Beginning April 1, the Income Tax Act, 2025, will come into force replacing the six-decade old tax law and the changes made in tax laws in 2026-27 Budget will be incorporated in the new legislation. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 206 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 6 Next-gen security: Govt taps AI for real-time monitoring Final call against pollution: Cunkolkars say ‘enough is enough’ >> pg 8 Facebook.com/thegoan GOA LIFE Villagers protest, demand linking of Tuem hospital with GMC National Youth Day: More youth prefer careers that offer autonomy INTEGRATED SYSTEM TO MONITOR GOVT FACILITIES, PREVENT RISKS AND MANAGE CROWDS; INFO-TECH CORPORATION FLOATS TENDER THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a move to strengthen surveillance and safety mechanisms, the State government is set to introduce an integrated, AI-enabled CCTV-based tracking and monitoring system capable of supporting live camera feeds along with intelligent features such as face detection and recognition, footfall and crowd analysis, smoke and fire detection, and object tracking across government departments and autonomous bodies. The Info-Tech Corporation (ITG) has floated a tender for an integrated CCTV-based tracking and monitoring software system aimed at strengthening real-time surveillance, analytics, reporting and automated alerts across all government departments, autonomous bodies and pub- AI-ENABLED CCTV SURVEILLANCE „„Advanced features: Face detection and recognition; footfall and crowd analysis; smoke and fire detection; object tracking „„Centralised platform: Secure, web-based system providing dashboards and detailed reports for authorised users „„Face database: System will store facial data along with name, mobile, Aadhaar, address, and other attributes „„Crowd management: Cameras can define regions of interest to monitor entries/exits and classify movements „„Emergency alerts: Real-time notifications for fires, smoke, and other security incidents „„Objective: Enhance public safety, situational awareness, data-driven decision-making, and long-term monitoring effectiveness lic institutions. As per the tender document, the proposed system will provide a secure, centralised, web-based platform for comprehensive monitoring of CCTV infrastructure installed at government offices and facilities spread across the State. The integrated solution will support live camera feeds along with intelligent features such as face detec- Goa Board to maintain April calendar for senior grades CLASSES FOR STD VI–X, XII FROM APRIL 6, STD I–V IN JUNE; HOLIDAYS AND TERM DIVISIONS OUTLINED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Continuing the revised academic calendar pattern, the upcoming academic year 2026–27 will also commence in April. Classes for students of Grades VI to X and Class XII are expected to begin from April 6. As in the previous year, the government has decided not to bring students of Grades I to V under the new system. For these classes, the academic year will begin in June. Sources said the government will continue implementing the Rules under the Goa School Education Act, 1984, notified last year. As per the Rules, the academic year for Classes VI to X and Class XII will run from April and conclude in March 2027, while Classes I to V and Class XI will have their term from June to March. “However, the government will decide whether schools will function for a full day with classes till afternoon or follow the shortened schedule ending at 11.30 am, as THE ACADEMIC SCHEDULE „„Terms: First term April–October, second term November– March 2027 „„School hours: Decision pending on full-day classes against shortened schedule till 11:30 am „„Summer vacation: Begins May 1, duration 5 weeks „„Festival breaks: Ganesh Chaturthi – max 1 week (Sept 14); Diwali – 3 weeks (Nov 8) „„Christmas vacation: December 24 to January 2 „„Working days: Teachers – minimum 220 days; instructional days – minimum 200 days was done last year,” sources added. This will be the second consecutive year of the adjusted academic calendar, introduced to align State board schools with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schedule, which follows an April-to-March academic year. The shift was implemented from the previous academic year. According to sources, the Director of Education will issue a separate order dividing the academic year into terms. The first term is expected to run from April to October, while the second term will be from November to March 2027. As per the Rules, the summer vacation for all classes will begin on May 1 and will be for a duration of five weeks. The total number of working days, including examination days, will be not less than 220 for teachers, while the number of instructional days will be a minimum of 200 in an academic year. >Continued on P7 tion and recognition, footfall and crowd analysis, smoke and fire detection, and object tracking. Authorised users will be able to access dashboards and detailed reports for effective supervision and monitoring of assets and activities. Officials said the initiative is intended to enhance situational awareness, improve public safety, and enable data-driven decision-making through advanced video analytics. As part of the project, the selected bidder will supply a face detection and recognition solution capable of processing both live video streams and recorded CCTV footage. The system will allow enrolment of facial data with associated details such as name, mobile number, Aadhaar number, address and other attributes defined by the concerned departments. The system will also include a footfall and crowd monitoring module to count and analyse human movement using CCTV feeds. Camera-wise configurations will allow authorities to define regions of interest to classify movements as entry or exit, helping in crowd management and facility planning. In addition, a video-based smoke and fire detection solution will be deployed to identify incidents within minimal response time. Real-time alerts and notifications will be generated to enable swift action by authorised personnel. Officials noted that continuous monitoring and evaluation of CCTV infrastructure is critical to ensure the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of surveillance projects. SPORTS Kohli reigns again as India edges past New Zealand in series opener 12 Five-day Winter Assembly Session kicks off today OPPN VOWS TO CORNER GOVT ON BIRCH TRAGEDY, LAND ISSUES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI/MAPUSA The five‑day winter session of the Goa Legislative Assembly kicks off on Monday at 11.30 am, with Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju delivering the maiden address to the House. The session, scheduled to conclude on Friday, January 16, will feature five sittings, combining government business with pointed political exchanges and private member’s business on Friday. From Tuesday onwards, the House is slated to take up supplementary demands for grants, government bills, and discussions on pressing issues. The final day has been earmarked for five Private Members’ Resolutions, giving legislators an opportunity to raise matters outside the government’s agenda. However, the session is already marked by tension. Speaker Ganesh Gaonkar has disallowed special discussions on several “burning issues,” prompting the joint Opposition to vow an aggressive strategy during Question Hour and other procedural avenues. Despite being numerically small, the Opposition has signalled its intent to corner the government on governance failures, corruption, and policy lapses. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao said the Opposition had held detailed consultations to ensure accountability. “We have discussed and worked out our strategy, and it will be delivered on the floor of the House. They will be cornered on all four days,” Alemao, the Congress MLA from Cuncolim, asserted. Among the issues expected to dominate proceedings are the tragic Birch by Romeo >Continued on P7 Crime Branch busts trafficking racket, rescues two women THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI On the eve of Anti-Human Trafficking Day, the Goa Crime Branch conducted a trapbased raid in Old Goa and rescued two women who were allegedly trafficked for sexual exploitation. SP Rahul Gupta said that based on suo motu intelligence, Crime Branch officials deployed a decoy customer and struck a deal with an unidentified agent for the supply of two women. “Telecommunication exchanges confirmed the involvement of an organised racket engaged in recruiting and transporting victims for sexual exploitation and supplying them to customers for illegal financial gain,” he said. Gupta claimed that the accused persons are deemed to be living off the earnings derived from the sexual physical exploitation of the victims. An offence has been registered vide CBPS FIR No. 02/2026 under Secs 143(1), (2) and (3) of the BNS Act, 2023, and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. The women have been sent to a protective home for care and rehabilitation. MITKAARS AT WORK: Mitkaars at the Ribandar salt pans begin the manual process of cleaning and levelling the pans to create uniform basins.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Suspected Pak drone intrusions trigger security alert in Jammu SECURITY FORCES LAUNCH GROUND OPERATIONS ALONG LoC PTI JAMMU Security forces picked up movement of suspected drones in several forward areas along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday evening, officials said. All the flying objects came from the Pakistan side, and returned after hovering over Indian territory for few minutes, they said. According to officials, security forces have launched a search operation on the ground after noticing the suspected drone activity in the forward areas. Army troops guarding the Nowshera sector along the LoC in Rajouri, fired from me- dium and light machine guns on observing drone movement over Gania-Kalsian village around 6.35 pm, they said. Another drone was noticed at Khabbar village in Teryath in Rajouri district at 6.35 pm. The flying object, with blinking light, came from the direction of Dharmsal village in Kalakote and moved further towards Bharakh, officials said. X admits lapse, removes obscene Goa arms traffic cops with rain-ready body cams TRAFFIC CHALLANS TO NEXT LEVEL Grok content after govt warning VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI OVER 3,500 POSTS BLOCKED AND 600 ACCOUNTS DELETED FOLLOWING IT MINISTRY DIRECTIVE PTI NEW DELHI Microblogging platform X admitted its mistake and removed about 3,500 pieces of content, as well as deleted over 600 accounts, after the IT ministry raised concerns over obscene content linked to Elon Musk-backed AI chatbot Grok, government sources said on Sunday. X has assured the authorities that it would comply with Indian laws. The action comes amid mounting pressure on Grok from governments worldwide, as regulators intensify scrutiny of the generative AI engine over content moderation, data safety and non-consensual sexually-explicit images that have flooded X over the last few days. According to Indian government sources, X has accepted its mistake and assured it will comply with Indian laws. Accordingly, it has blocked around 3,500 pieces of content, and over 600 accounts have been deleted. It has also assured that going forward, it won’t allow obscene imagery, sources said. Last Sunday, X’s ‘Safety’ handle said it takes action against illegal content on its platform, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. “Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content,” X had said, echoing the stance taken by Musk on illegal content. X is facing a global backlash over the ‘digital undressing’ of images through user prompts on the AI chatbot Grok. G oa, the first State in the country to mandate the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by Police Inspectors (PIs) and Police Sub-Inspectors (PSIs) for issuing traffic challans, has strengthened its enforcement system with the procurement of 60 additional water-resistant devices – partially addressing an operational shortfall highlighted nearly 18 months ago. Officials stated that the new BWCs carry an IP67 rating, which provides protection against dust and allows the units to withstand rain or brief exposure to water. However, the devices cannot be used for sustained immersion or long hours, meaning the monsoon challenge that previously dis- „„60 new water-resistant (IP67) BWCs procured, partly addressing a long-standing operational gap „„Total BWCs increased from 75 to 135 „„New devices can withstand rain and brief water exposure, but not prolonged immersion WHAT IP67 MEANS The IP67 rating indicates that the devices are: „„Dust-tight, and able to resist water ingress when submerged between 15 cm and 1 metre for up to 30 minutes „„IP67 products can handle splashes, rain and temporary immersion, but not sustained immersion for long hours rupted enforcement persists. With the latest procurement, the total number of cameras has increased from 75 to 135. The previous batch, introduced in July 2024, did TRAFFIC CELL-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF CAMERAS „„Panaji (11), Porvorim (8), Calangute (8), Anjuna (10), Mapusa (10), Pernem (8), Mopa Airport (8), Bicholim (8), Margao (15), Vasco (9), Curchorem (4), Ponda (9), Dabolim Airport (5), Colva (3), Canacona (6), Quepem (5), Fatorda (2), Traffic Enforcement Cell (4) and Reserve (2) not have any form of water resistance or waterproofing, forcing traffic personnel to shield devices with umbrellas or temporarily discontinue their use during intense rain spells. “We have already procured an additional lot, which are water-resistant devices… The main purpose is to maintain transparency, as every move- ment and interaction is recorded. It has also helped to avoid allegations against my staff,” SP Traffic Prabodh Shirvoikar told The Goan. The procurement follows Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s announcement that all Traffic PIs and PSIs would be equipped with BWCs to improve transparency, public safety and traffic regulation, especially during the peak tourist season. Former Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Rahul Gupta had earlier admitted that the primary drawback was the inability to use the cameras in rain, adding that the department was exploring waterproof models to address the issue. Another senior officer explained the current fleet >Continued on P7