log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2026 14 pages GOA Edu hub move triggers traffic fears on narrow village roads in Davorlim Page 8 Goans hail elevation of Church to Minor Basilica in Kuwait Goans from Conservative party to contest council polls in UK - 1 IN SHORT >> SC disposes petition against Goa Speaker PANAJI: The Supreme Court has disposed of as infructuous a Special Leave Petition filed by former Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar against the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly in connection with the defection of eight MLAs to the BJP in 2022.  >> See pg 3 Iron gates rusted at 30 dams in Sattari VALPOI: About 30 check dams constructed in different parts of Sattari two decades ago to boost water storage for the benefit of farmers are now failing in their purpose. The iron gates have rusted and have developed holes, leading to substantial water leakage and inadequate water storage.  >> See pg 5 GHRC clears GMC docs of negligence PANAJI: The Goa Human Rights Commission has disposed of a complaint alleging medical negligence against the Goa Medical College and Hospital, ruling in favour of the doctors and holding that no violation of human rights was established in the treatment of a 31-year-old road accident victim who died in January 2024.  >> See pg 3 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 237 2 GOA Multiple smart city projects inaugurated ahead of CCP elections 3 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 33.4 C 21.2 C 80% TIDES Low: 03.34 15.00 High: 07.49 22.22 LIFE Beyond just roses and chocolates: Valentine’s Day, a celebration of love SLAMS OPPN, SAYS GOA WILL HAVE TWO AIRPORTS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Amid mounting political controversy over the future of Dabolim airport, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday firmly dismissed Opposition allegations that the Union government is planning to shut down civilian operations at the facility and termed the claims as “baseless” and “politically motivated”. Speaking to media, Sawant asserted that Dabolim airport will continue to function permanently for both civilian and naval operations. “Every time elections are round the corner, the Opposition tries to create an issue. Let me make it clear, Dabolim airport will not be shut. It will continue for civilian and naval use permanently. The Opposition needs to understand that Dabolim airport is not an election issue anymore,” the Sawant said. Sawant further stated that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had already assured continuity of civil operations at Dabolim and that the decision to maintain dual airports in Goa was taken by the Union Cabinet before the commencement of operations at Manohar International Airport in Mopa. CM chairs pre-budget meet, appoints secretaries to tackle inter-dept issues PANAJI: Ahead of presenting the State Budget for 2026-27 on March 6, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday chaired a pre-budget consultation meeting with Heads of Departments to review priorities and streamline coordination. During the meeting, Sawant decided to appoint Secretaries to specifically address inter-departmental issues, with the aim of ensuring smoother coordination and more efficient service delivery. “Secretaries will be appointed to deal with inter-departmental issues — basically to ensure smooth delivery of services and proper coordination,” he said.  >> See pg 3 “Goa will continue to have two airports. Let us not fall for Opposition claims. Some people have no other topics and are trying to create news,” he added. He accused South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes of making “baseless statements” outside Parliament for political mileage. “Parliament is a holy temple for legislators and should be used for constructive matters. Just to increase his political weightage, he is making such statements. This should not happen,” Sawant said. Highlighting the government’s financial commitment, Sawant said nearly Rs 450 crore is being spent on a flyover to ease access to the airport, while between Rs 300–400 crore has been spent directly on airport infrastructure over the past five years. “After spending so much money through the Civil Aviation Ministry, it is not to hand it over exclusively to the Navy. People should stop spreading misinformation,” he said. The controversy erupted after Minister & Dabolim MLA Mauvin Godinho accused the GMR – operating MIA of pressurising and lobbying the Indian Navy to take over the Dabolim airport. Opposition parties intensified their attack, alleging that the Union Government was planning to shut Dabolim Airport and hand it over to corporate interests. They claimed the move would severely impact South Goa’s tourism-driven economy. Leaders warned of large-scale protests if any attempt is made to curtail civilian operations at Dabolim, maintaining that the dual-use airport is critical for both civil aviation and defence needs. South Goa MP claimed that the State government had given consent to the Centre to shut down Dabolim Airport for commercial and civil operations, terming it a “shocking betrayal” of Goans. He said he had received confidential information in this regard. In a letter dated February 12 to Rajnath Singh, Fernandes urged the Defence Ministry to ensure continuity of civil operations at Dabolim. He recalled that during the tenure of the UPA government, a Cabinet decision had been taken to keep civil aviation operations functional at both Dabolim and Mopa airports. Bangladesh polls: BNP secures huge victory, Rahman likely to be PM PTI PANAJI: Recently launched intelligence system Pro Active Risk Identification and Surveillance Mechanism (PRISM) has helped the Goa police arrest a second suspect in a narcotics case, marking one of its first major breakthroughs since becoming operational.  >> See pg 3 PANAJI: In a stinging indictment of official apathy, the Goa State Information Commission has ordered the Director of Social Welfare to recover a penalty of Rs 25,000 from the salary of the concerned PIO for ‘gross misconduct’.  >> See pg 3 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Dabolim airport shutdown claims baseless: Sawant PRISM helps police arrest drug suspect SIC cracks whip on Social Welfare Dept Instagram.com/thegoanonline SILENT MESSAGE: A float highlights the menace of plastic pollution during the Carnival parade at Porvorim. The first day of Carnival festivities in the State kicked off on Friday. (More photos on pg 5)  Narayan Pissurlenkar Job bonanza: 722 govt posts up for grabs, online process from Feb 20 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Staff Selection Commission (GSSC) has announced recruitment for 722 Group ‘C’ posts across government departments. The largest share of vacancies is in the police force. These include 360 posts of Police Constable (male/female), 119 posts of Armed Police Constable, and 111 posts of Police Constable Driver (Grade-III). Other major openings are 60 posts of Warden (male), 23 posts of Round Forester, 13 posts of Range Forest Officer, and 9 posts of Forest Guard. Additional positions include Platoon Commander (4), Assistant Superintendent (male 4), Matron (female 10), Lascar (male 5), Escort (female 2), and one post each for Constable (Greaser) and Constable (Electrician). >Continued on P9 DHAKA The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday secured a sweeping victory with more than two-thirds majority in the landmark parliamentary elections and is making a spectacular return to power after a gap of two decades. BNP's top leader Tarique Rahman is set to become the prime minister for the first time. He will replace the interim govt chief Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, under. The 13th Parliamentary elections assumed significance as they were held after a period of tumultuous political vacuum, instability and fragile security situation, including widespread attacks on minorities after the student-led protests brought down the 15year rule of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. According to the unofficial results announced by the Election Commission, the BNP has bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, known to be close to Pakistan, secured 68. >> See pg 9 Consent to Operate now comes with indefinite validity State Pollution Board gets power under amended central guidelines THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI n a major reform aimed at cutting procedural delays for industries, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) is now empowered to grant Uniform Consent under the Air and Water Act, with Consent to Operate (CTO) set to remain valid indefinitely unless cancelled for violations. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) last month notified the amended Uniform Consent Guidelines under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and I WINDS OF CHANGE: AMENDED GUIDELINES „„No periodic renewal required for Consent to Operate „„CTO valid indefinitely unless cancelled for non-compliance „„Environmental safeguards continue through inspections, enforcement „„Consent can be revoked for violations, environmental damage, or breach of conditions „„Uniform national framework introduced for granting, refusing, or cancelling CTE, CTO „„Processing time for Red Category industries reduced to 90 days „„Registered Environmental Auditors allowed to conduct inspections with Board officials „„MSMEs get deemed CTE approval upon self-certified application submission the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, under which CTO will continue without a fixed expiry date and remain in force unless revoked for violations. Under the earlier system, CTO was granted for shorter, fixed validity periods -- typically three to five years depend- ing on whether an industry fell under Red, Orange or Green categories. Units were required to seek renewals before expiry, undergo inspections, submit compliance documents and pay fees each time. This often resulted in repetitive paperwork, delays and operational uncertainty if renewals were not processed on time. With the amended guidelines, the need for periodic renewals has been removed. Once granted, CTO will continue unless cancelled for non-compliance. GSPCB officials said environmental safeguards remain intact, with periodic inspections and enforcement continuing as before. Consent can be revoked in cases of violations, >Continued on P9 6 SPORTS Zimbabwe showers Blessing on Australia in historic upset 14 Trump tariffs leave Goa’s seafood industry reeling Records zero exports to US this fiscal THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump in August last year have dealt a severe blow to Goa’s seafood exports, with shipments to the United States plunging to zero in the current financial year. The coastal State, which earlier exported around 3,800 metric tonnes of frozen shrimp annually to the US, has recorded no exports this year. The information was furnished in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada. According to official data, Goa exported 19,279 metric tonnes of frozen shrimp to the US between 2020-21 and 2024-25, valued at Rs 884.09 crore. However, the Ministry has reported nil exports from Goa and Delhi in the ongoing financial year, attributing the decline to the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Telangana, West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha are among the key contributors to India’s sea- RS DATA ON GOA’S SEAFOOD EXPORTS „„Goa earlier exported around 3,800 mt of frozen shrimp annually to the US „„No shrimp exports recorded from Goa to the US in current financial year „„Between 2020-21 & 2024-25, Goa exported frozen shrimp worth Rs 884.09 cr to the US „„Decline attributed to 25% tariff on Indian goods imposed by Trump admin „„Indian exports earlier faced only 10% anti-dumping and countervailing duties „„At the national level, India’s seafood exports stood at Rs 62,408 cr last year food exports. On August 7, the Trump-led administration announced a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods. Prior to this, Indian exports to the US were subject to only 10 per cent anti-dumping and countervailing duties. Data also shows that the downturn had begun last year. In 2024-25, Goa’s shrimp exports fell sharply by nearly 65 per cent, with the State exporting 1,951 metric tonnes compared to 5,035 metric tonnes in 2023-24. The export value dropped from Rs 213.53 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 78.58 crore last year. In earlier years, Goa exported 4,756 metric tonnes of shrimp worth Rs 213.57 crore in 2020-21; 3,578 metric tonnes worth Rs 88.26 crore in 2021-22; and 3,959 metric tonnes valued at Rs 190.15 crore in 2022-23. At the national level, India’s seafood exports, largely comprising frozen shrimp  stood at Rs 62,408 crore in the last financial year. CBSE goes digital, ends Class 12 marks verification from this year SHIFTS TO ON SCREEN MARKING FOR QUICK EVALUATION PTI NEW DELHI The verification of marks for Class 12 Board exams will not be required after declaration of results from this year, as the Board is shifting to fully digital evaluation with on screen marking, officials of the Central Board of Secondary Education said on Friday. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday conducted a workshop for school teachers and prin- Department of Information and Publicity Government of Goa cipals detailing the modalities of the on screen marking (OSM) system, which will be implemented from 2026. However, evaluation of Class-10 answer books will continue in physical mode as before. “Post-result verification of marks will no longer be required and there will be a reduced manpower requirement for verification as there would be no scope for any totalling errors,” Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said. “In the older system, students would seek verification to check for discrepancies in the whole numbers or missing numbers. In the new scheme of digital evaluation, such discrepancies would be eliminated at the outset,” he added. The official said the reform was not overnight. “Before taking a final call, we analysed lessons from past experiences, redesigned >Continued on P9