log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 233 Instagram.com/thegoanonline T20 WC: PAK GOVT WITHDRAWS BOYCOTT OF INDIA MATCH >> P14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 CBC 06124/13/0005/2526 CBC 06124/13/0005/2526 TUESDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2026 Facebook.com/thegoan >PG 6 WHEN STORIES FOUND THEIR VOICE AT GOA BOOK FESTIVAL 14TH EDITION OF GALF: WHERE LITERATURE, CULTURE & CONVERSATION COME TOGETHER IN SHORT >> M’rashtra man dies after party at Anjuna MAPUSA: A 32-year-old man from Maharashtra was found dead in Morjim in the early hours of Monday, prompting police to register a case of unnatural death even as the circumstances surrounding his sudden demise raise questions about possible substance consumption during a party outing. According to police, a male identified as Vikram Barkade, a resident of Malkapur, Satara district, Maharashtra, was brought dead at the primary health centre Siolim.  >> See pg 3 Facelift plan around Basilica stalled PANAJI: Two years after it was unveiled with much fanfare in the virtual presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Goa govt’s ambitious redevelopment plan around the Basilica of Bom Jesus seems to have run aground amid opposition that forced the State to propose changes to what was once a fully approved design. >> See pg 3 Morjim club shut, slapped `21L fine MAPUSA: In one of its toughest actions yet against noise pollution, the Goa State Pollution Control Board has imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 21 lakh on a Morjim-based nightclub for violations of noise norms and ordered the club to shut down operations for 2 months. >> See pg 3 Withdraw EPF money via UPI from April NEW DELHI: Subscribers of retirement fund body EPFO will be able to withdraw their employees' provident fund directly into their bank accounts through UPI payment gateway using its newly designed mobile application to be launched in April this year, a top source said. WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 34.1 C 20.2 C 84% TIDES Low: 10.46 22.24 High: 03.08 18.31 Goa grapples with job scam shadow No Southeast Asian recruitment 20 plaints, but zero prosecution rackets in State, claim police sanctions, reveals MEA data THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A statewide inquiry conducted by the Goa police into overseas recruitment activities has found that registered recruitment agencies in the State are not involved in sending jobseekers to Southeast Asian countries. However, the exercise revealed a pattern of fake addresses, closed offices and unreachable contact numbers linked to suspected illegal recruiters. A media statement issued by Crime Branch on Monday comes in response to a report in The Goan which highlighted that, despite repeated warnings and rise in complaints, illegal recruitment agents continue to operate in Goa. As of December 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) identified 15 unregistered recruitment agencies POLICE PROBE „„All registered, known recruitment agencies operating in Goa verified „„No agency was found recruiting candidates for Southeast Asian countries „„Agencies’ operational functioning in the State and sought police action to crack down on such operators. At the same time, 13 registered active recruitment agents or agencies are operating in Goa. However, Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Rahul Gupta said no active illegal recruitment operation had come to the fore during the inquiry. He revealed that their inquiry focused on recruitment for overseas employment to Southeast Asian countries from January 1, 2024, till date. details and recruitment profiles checked and documented „„Probe conducted as preventive measure against ‘cyber slavery’ of Goans The exercise was undertaken as a preventive measure against “cyber slavery”, a growing form of exploitation in which victims are trafficked abroad and forced into online fraud and other illegal activities. “It was found that registered and known recruitment agencies currently operating in Goa are not engaged in recruiting candidates for Southeast Asian countries. Their operational details and >Continued on P9 PANAJI oa has emerged as the third-highest inflationary State in the country during the current financial year so far, recording an inflation rate of 4.77 per cent for the April–December period -- a figure that is 2.88 percentage points higher than the national average. According to data presented in the Economic Survey 202526 tabled in Parliament, Goa’s inflation trajectory, despite some moderation in recent months, remains a cause for concern. While the State’s inflation rate eased significantly from 6.34 per cent recorded in the first quarter of the G Even as job-seekers in Goa continue to lose their hardearned money to overseas employment rackets, official action against illegal recruiters remains alarmingly thin. Data released by the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reveals that not a single case from the State has been referred for prosecution sanction, despite nearly 20 grievances being reported since 2023. More strikingly, only one First Information Report (FIR) has been registered by the State police during this period. The figures show that the highest number of complaints -- 13 -- were lodged by emigrants and their family members in 2025 alone, while five complaints were reported in 2023 and another two in 2024. Of the total complaints received, just one FIR was registered in 2024. In the remaining cases, no request was made for the issuance of prosecution sanction following investigation. “Government has been made aware of instances where dubious entities involved in fake recruitment job offers have lured Indian nationals, including youth, mostly through social media channels for overseas employment to various countries,” the MEA stated in its response. According to the Ministry, whenever complaints regarding fraudulent recruitment activities are received from aggrieved emigrants or their relatives, friends or family members, the cases are referred to the respective State police authorities for investigation and prosecution. “As and when complaints of illegal migration are received, such matters are referred to the State police for investigation and prosecution under the relevant legal provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and other legislations in place,” the Ministry said. The MEA also noted that action in the cyber domain is initiated against illegal recruiting agents in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and State police authorities, particularly when social media platforms are used to lure victims. However, when contacted, State government officials attributed the lack of >Continued on P9 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI After 44 days of sustained protest, residents of Chimbel on Monday finally called off their agitation against the proposed Unity Mall and Prashasan Stambh projects, following a written assurance from the State government that both projects will be shifted out of the village. The decision was announced by villagers at Azad Maidan, bringing an end to one of the longest local protests witnessed in recent times. The agitation had begun over concerns that the proposed projects would cause irreversible environmental and ecological damage, particularly posing a threat to the Toyyar Lake and its surrounding ecosystem. “Tourism Department has decided to shift the proposed Unity Mall project from survey No 41/1 of Chimbel village to an alternate site. It is further clarified that no construction HERITAGE BUNGALOW CONTROVERSY ASI barred new construction at disputed site in Old Goa DOCUMENTS REVEAL PERMISSIONS RESTRICTED STRICTLY TO REPAIRS WITHOUT ANY EXPANSION THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Archaeological Survey of India had formally warned that no new construction -- either horizontally or vertically -- could be permitted at the site of the controversial bungalow within the UNESCO World Heritage precinct at Old Goa. The ASI, whose formal communication with relevant authorities has been annexed with the Supreme Court-appointed inspection report, had restricted permissions strictly to repairs of an existing structure without any expansion. The ASI’s old site inspection note, prepared while examining an application for a no-objection certificate, had then made clear that the proposed residential house fell entirely within the protected area of the Church of St Cajetan and the Arch of the Viceroy, both centrally protected „„Site inspection found construction cannot be proposed residengranted in protected tial house lay zone entirely within Only repairs KEY ASI „„the existing the protected to area NOTINGS structure, in its „„ASI recorded present form, that construction may be considwas entirely new in ered nature „„No horizontal or vertical „„Permission for new expansion is permissible monuments. The applicants were listed as Jose Maria de Gouveia Pinto and Maria Linette de Abreu Gouveia Pinto. “Since the proposed construction is entirely new, permission cannot be granted as it falls in the protected area,” the ASI recorded, adding that only repairs to the existing structure, as it is, could be considered, without any horizontal or vertical addition. It further noted that granting permission for new construction in such a zone was beyond the mandate of the National Monuments Authority. Despite these explicit directions, the Supreme Court– mandated inspection found that the existing structure at the site was demolished and replaced, raising serious questions about how the work proceeded in the face of clear ASI objections. >Continued on P9 Goa among top three inflation-hit States THE GOAN I NETWORK SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI Govt gives written assurance to shift Unity Mall, locals call off agitation REALITY BITES „„Economic survey says Goa witnessed steady, consistent rise in inflation over 3 years „„Goa has third-highest inflation among States/UTs, after Kerala (8.05%) and Lakshadweep (6.69%) „„Key drivers include higher food prices, housing costs, and services „„Tourism-driven demand, seasonal factors, rising input costs, and supply constraints add to inflation „„Overall trend signals a rising cost of living in the State „„Inflation is below RBI’s 6% tolerance limit, but higher than national average of 1.7% financial year, the overall trend continues to point towards persistent price pressures. The Economic Survey highlights that Goa has witnessed a steady and consistent rise in inflation over the past three years. From 2.94 per cent in 2023–24, the inflation rate climbed to 3.54 per cent in 2024–25, and has now surged to 4.77 per cent by December 2025, reflecting mounting cost pressures across sectors. With this, Goa ranks only behind Kerala (8.05 per cent) and Lakshadweep (6.69 per cent), which reported higher inflation during the same period. Although the State’s inflation rate remains below the Reserve Bank of India’s upper tolerance band of 6 per cent, it is substantially higher than the national average inflation FACTS & FIGURES >Continued on P9 a Stre Race 1 4 - 1 5 F E B 2 0 2 6 SCAN QR TO BOOK TICKETS BROADCAST PARTNERS >Continued on P9