Author: Team Admin

Team Goemkarponn CURTORIM: Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco on Wednesday honoured Maina Curtorim Police officials and women’s rights activist Auda Viegas for their roles in securing the conviction of a man who raped his daughter with disabilities. A POCSO Court in Panaji on Tuesday sentenced the accused to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeatedly assaulting his daughter. During the brief function, MLA Reginaldo presented commendations to activist Auda Viegas and Maina Curtorim PI Arun Desai, acknowledging their coordinated efforts in ensuring a strong case that ultimately led to the conviction. Calling it a “model example” of collaboration, Reginaldo said the…

Team Goemkarponn PANAJI: Goa Forward Party chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday once again pressed for a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the forthcoming Zilla Panchayat elections, arguing that opposition unity is crucial to avoid fragmentation of anti-BJP votes. Sardesai said the “next step lies with the Congress,” indicating that the party must now respond to GFP’s overture. He has repeatedly maintained that a joint front of opposition parties would give them a stronger footing and prevent vote division in the local body polls. The GFP president reiterated that only a coordinated electoral strategy can effectively challenge…

Team Goemkarponn PANAJI: The Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday rolled out its third slate of candidates for the upcoming Zilla Panchayat polls, finalising names across multiple constituencies in North and South Goa. The selections span general, OBC, ST and women’s reserved seats, as approved by the State Election Committee. In North Goa, the party has nominated Shrikrishna (Nanu) Ravindra Harmalkar for Dhargal, Raghoba Ladu Kambli for Torxem, Soniya Videsh Naik for the St Cruz women–OBC seat, Mahesh Anant Sawant for Karapur–Sarvan, and Kunda Vishnu Mandrekar for Maem. Meanwhile, in South Goa, the BJP has fielded Poonam…

Team Goemkarponn CALANGUTE: Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Wednesday said that the reason Goa appears less crowded despite high official tourism numbers is the rapid and largely unregulated spread of new accommodation options across the State. Lobo explained that while tourist arrivals — domestic and foreign — have gone up, thousands of additional rooms have quietly entered the market in the form of homestays, rental apartments, small guest houses and Airbnb listings. This, he said, has redistributed visitors who once heavily concentrated in a few beach belts. He noted that many coastal households now rent out rooms or entire homes…

Team Goemkarponn COLVA: A Russian woman was injured on Wednesday after a stray dog attacked her at Colva, reigniting concerns over the growing stray population along the popular beach stretch. The tourist, Zena, who is staying in Majorda, said she was on one of her routine visits to Colva—her favourite beach—when a dog suddenly lunged at her. She suffered injuries to her buttock and finger and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Doctors administered an injection and advised her to return for additional doses. Speaking after the incident, Zena urged the government to step in and set up…

Team Goemkarponn PANAJI: The Additional Sessions Court in North Goa has ordered that charges be formally framed against two men accused of attempting to kill a St Cruz resident in 2022. In a ruling delivered on December 2, Additional Sessions Judge Vijaya Ambre observed that sufficient material exists to prosecute Chetan Korgaonkar and Santosh Shetty for attempted murder, criminal trespass and common intention under the IPC, as well as relevant provisions of the Arms Act. According to the prosecution, the incident unfolded on September 16, 2022, when the accused allegedly entered the complainant’s rented room armed with a pistol and…

Team Goemkarponn PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has overturned the State government’s order rejecting the premature release plea of Rohan Pai Dhungat, convicted in the 2006 murder of Mandar Surlakar. The Court held that the government failed to properly evaluate the recommendation of the State Sentence Review (SSR) Board before denying his application. A Division Bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan has now asked the government to reassess Dhungat’s plea within two weeks, strictly in accordance with the Goa Prisons Rules, 2006. Calling the State’s decision “erroneous and unjustified,” the Court set aside the August 20,…