log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 3, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 166 Locals oppose Dabolim flyover diversion through residential lanes 3 4 GOA Mayor proposes taking community on board to police city Election chief sounds alert on surrendered passports SAYS NO AUTOMATED TRACKING MECHANISM TO UPDATE POLL ROLLS; TO SEEK FRRO, RPO DATA THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In the absence of an automated system to identify Goans who have surrendered Indian passports, the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has initiated steps to obtain official data from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and the Regional Passport Office to get their names struckoff from the electoral roll. As reported earlier, as per FRRO records, 25,939 Goans surrendered their Indian passports between January 1, 2014 and March 31, 2024. Apart from this, the CEO office is also grappling with a second challenge, wherein individuals who never held an Indian passport but possess foreign passports, thereby losing Indian citizenship by default but there is no database of such citizens. Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goel acknowledged that election authorities currently lack any automated mechanism or digital mapping tool that alerts them when a voter gives up an Indian passport. Goel stressed that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) must ensure a thoroughly updated and error-free electoral roll. The IAS officer said that there could be cases where individuals who never held an Indian passport but possess foreign passports, and therefore cease to be Indian citizens by default. “Such cases do not appear in any official records because these individuals never applied for an Indian passport,” he explained. Goel also reminded that under Indian law, acquiring a foreign passport—irrespective of previously holding an Indian passport—is a criminal offence unless the individual submits a mandatory self-declaration. “The Representation of the People Act clearly states that only Indian citizens can be enrolled as voters. Anyone who voluntarily acquires foreign citizenship must inform the authorities and ensure their name is removed from the electoral roll,” he added. „„No system that alerts „„Poll body now seeking when someone surdata from FRRO, renders an Indian RPO on individpassport uals who have „„Officials TECH GAP, surrendered their Indian unable to SAYS POLL passports automatically CEO identify foreign „„Info to be nationals or foreign sorted constitupassport holders whose ency-wise and will be names must be removed forward to Booth Level from electoral roll Officers for field verification ANOTHER CHALLENGE: Poll body in dilemma on individuals who never held an Indian passport but possess foreign passports, thereby losing Indian citizenship by default as there is no database of such citizens “There is no system that informs us when someone surrenders an Indian passport. As a result, we are unable to automatically identify foreign nationals or foreign passport holders whose names must be removed from the electoral roll,” Goel said. To plug this gap, the CEO is now formally seeking data from the FRRO and the Re- gional Passport Office. “Once we receive details of individuals who have surrendered their Indian passports, we will sort the information constituency-wise and forward it to the Booth Level Officers for field verification. If it is confirmed that a person has ceased to be an Indian citizen, necessary action will be taken,” he stated. >Continued on P9 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 TGLIFE Accessibility for disabled not a favour, but a fundamental right! 10 SPORTS India relies on Kohli–Rohit pair to seal ODI series against South Africa 14 London dream now steadily losing steam among Goans  Many looking at Ireland, Holland, Germany  Rush for Portuguese passports slows down VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI KEY REASONS FOR SLOWDOWN A quiet reversal is unfolding across Goa’s long-established migration trail to Europe. For years, thousands of Goans renounced their Indian citizenship in favour of Portuguese nationality, drawn by the promise of easy movement across the European Union (EU) and especially the United Kingdom (UK). That current has partially slowed and not because the aspiration has dimmed, but because the incentives in the UK that once fuelled it have eroded. Since 2015, roughly 26,000 people in the State have surrendered their Indian passports. But the numbers have dipped sharply: in 2022, only 1,265 people gave up their Indian passport, a massive fall from 2,835 in 2021 and about 3,500 to 4,100 yearly surrenders between 2015 and 2019. The number however does not include those who sur- „„UK no longer a guaranteed destination after Brexit „„Erosion of incentives in the UK—job access not as seamless as before „„Longer pathway to Portuguese citizenship—now around 4 years, earlier less than a year „„Stricter regulations and more intensive documen- tation checks „„Slow verification by Indian authorities delay Portuguese citizenship process „„Reduced appeal of switching nationality due to tougher paperwork „„Shift in destination preferences, more choosing Ireland, the Netherlands, or Germany rendered their Indian citizenship before the Embassy. Officials at the Regional Passport Office told The Goan that the total applications for surrender of Indian passports continue without the urgency once associated with it. “Around 10-12 applications a day are received from applicants to surrender Indian citizenship in favour of a Portuguese one,” the official said. The decisive break, many observers say, came with Brexit. “Portuguese nationality, once a near-guaranteed gateway to the UK labour market, no longer carries the same weight after it exited the EU. Consultant and catalyst facilitating Portuguese passport acquisition, Duarte Fernandes, said the pathway to full citizenship has lengthened and now it’s a four-year wait that was, until recently, less than a year. “Regulations for acquiring full citizenship have become more stringent. It now takes at least four years, process that took less than a year till sometime back,” he said. Travel industry professional Bruno Gomindes however, says that the delay in acquiring citizenship is not due to new restrictions but from slow document verification on the Indian government side. “The Portuguese authorities routinely seek clarifications for each applicant and process these requests swiftly. However, they said the Indian authorities must respond to these verification requests promptly to ensure applications are completed on time. The major responsibility lies with the Indian government, which needs to expedite the Birth and Marriage verification,” >Continued on P9 SAVE 22000 LIMITED PERIOD OFFER 125 CF MODEL ₹8292/-* 100% GST BENEFIT HAT-TRICK SAVINGS AVAILABLE ON ₹9 493/-* ₹3 000/-* PF + INSURANCE SAVINGS ₹ 11 292/-* N160 USD NS 125 ABS ₹11 666/-* ₹3 400/-* ₹ 12 893/-* P220 ₹11 664/-* ₹4 200/-* ₹ 15 866/-* NS 200 ₹17 472/-* ₹4 200/-* ₹ 15 864/-* ₹4 700/-* ₹ 22 172/-* AND Terms and Conditions Apply. 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