Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 313 Long-delayed vacuum sewer project finally launched in Khareband 2 GOA Protest in Assembly: Chargesheet filed against former minister, 4 others 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 LIFE Sun, sweat & survival: The harsh reality for Goa’s outdoor workforce Govt proposes sweeping changes in labour laws  SET TO RESHAPE LIVES OF WORKERS  INTRODUCES STRICT TIMELINES FOR SETTLEMENT OF UNPAID WAGES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government has proposed a major labour law reform with direct implications for workers and their families, introducing strict timelines for the settlement of unpaid wages and other service-related dues. The draft Goa Code on Wages Rules, 2026, now open for public suggestions for 45 days, proposes that employers transfer unclaimed dues to the Labour Commissioner within a fixed timeframe, with amounts eventually moving to the Goa Labour Welfare Board if they remain unclaimed for seven years. The draft seeks to replace Goa’s long-standing wage rules in line with the Code on Wages, 2019. One of the main features of the proposed framework is Chapter V -- Payment of Dues, Claims, etc, which lays down a clear, time-bound mech- Page 8 Manual handbrake: Why this lever is quietly disappearing from cars MG Majestor: Luxury, capability and presence IN SHORT >> No water supply in S Goa on May 5, 6 MARGAO: Residents across South Goa are bracing for disruption in water supply due to a planned shutdown of the Selaulim water treatment plant. As such, there will be no water supply to Quepem, Cuncolim, Curtorim, Margao, South Goa coastal belt, Fatorda, Nuvem Cortalim, Dabolim Vasco and Mormugao constituencies on May 5 and 6 and restricted water supply on May 7.   >> See pg 2 Verdict on Khattar's bail petition on Sat VASCO: JMFC Vasco has reserved its order on the bail application of Gautam Khattar, with the verdict scheduled to be pronounced on Saturday.  >> See pg 3 „„Employers must deposit „„Non-family nominations unpaid dues with Labour invalid if family exists Commissioner within „„Unclaimed dues timeframe to be invested „„If unpaid for 3 LABOUR securely months (death/ „„Authorities LAWS unknown), to issue public DRAFT: dues must be notices for WHAT'S deposited claimants NEW „„Commissioner „„If unclaimed for to verify, pay nomi7 years, dues transnee within 2 months ferred to Welfare Board „„Employees must file „„Wages to be based on nomination (Form II) needs of a standard family. anism to ensure that wages and other dues payable to employees do not remain indefinitely with employers in cases of death, disappearance, or where nominees fail to claim the amount. “... any amount payable to an employee under the Code is due after his death or on account of his whereabouts not being known, and the amount could not be paid to the nominee of the employee until the expiry of three months from the date the amount had become payable, then such amount shall be deposited by the employer with the Commissioner, who shall disburse the amount to the person nominated by the employee Tragedy at Guirim school; girl hit by hockey ball, dies TEACHERS, VILLAGERS SHOCKED THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA A 14-year-old student of St Anthony's High School died in a tragic incident on Thursday morning after she was struck by a hockey ball during a practice session on the school playground. According to police, the girl was participating in a routine School hockey tragedy triggers demand for stricter safety norms >> See pg 15 hockey practice along with other students when the incident occurred. “After she was struck by the ball, she fell unconscious on the ground,” a police official said. She was immediately rushed by the school management to the District Hos- THE TRAGIC INCIDENT „„The 14-year-old girl was at a hockey practice session „„Hockey ball hits her, falls unconscious „„Taken to District Hospital Mapusa „„Could not be revived, dies „„Body sent to GMC for postmortem pital Mapusa for emergency treatment. However, despite efforts to revive her, she later succumbed to her injuries. The body has been sent to the Goa Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination to ascertain the exact >Continued on P7 Includes food, clothing, housing, and essentials „„Dearness Allowance to be revised twice a year „„Draft covers work hours, rest, overtime, skill classification after ascertaining his identity within two months of the date on which the amount was so deposited with him,” it states. The draft turns more stringent in cases where no nomination has been made. It states that if the amount remains undisbursed because no nomination exists, or for any other reason it could not Govt cracks down on households with dual LPG, PNG connections PTI NEW DELHI The government has begun the process to identify households with both liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG) connections as it enforces an order prohibiting dual ownership, aiming to curb misuse and better target subsidies. The government had last month barred households with piped cooking gas (called PNG) connections from retaining or obtaining subsidised domestic LPG connections. In a notification issued on March 14, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas amended the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order, 2000, under the Essential Commodities Act, making it mandatory for consumers with PNG connections to surrender their domestic LPG connections. This was done with a view to accelerating PNG rollout to ease pressure on cooking gas supplies amid global energy supply disruptions. be paid to the nominee within six months from the date it became payable, the employer must deposit the amount with the Commissioner within 15 days after the end of sixmonth period. Under Rule 37, every employee is required to make a declaration in Form II, nominating a person entitled to receive any amount standing to the employee’s credit in the event of death. The deposited amount is not to remain idle as Rule 39 provides that the Commissioner shall invest undisbursed dues in Central or State Government securities or place them in a fixed deposit with a scheduled bank. Public notices are also to be issued to trace the rightful claimants. The most striking safeguard comes in the final clause, which provides that if the undisbursed amount remains unclaimed for seven years, it >Continued on P7 6 IPL: GT keeps playoff push alive with win against RCB Govt moves to fast-track land issues for IIT Goa Nine-member panel formed to verify land ownership, record of rights THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government has set up a committee, headed by the South Goa District Collector, to address all issues related to the land identified for the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa in Ponda taluka. As earlier reported by The Goan, the government has identified around 4.5 lakh square metres of land within the Goa College of Engineering (GEC) campus at Farmagudi and has submitted a fresh proposal to the Centre for approval. As per the notification issued by Under Secretary (Revenue) Vrushika Khauthankar, the committee has been tasked with assessing the feasibility of the identified land for the IIT campus. It will also verify land ownership and records of rights, and, wherever required, initiate negotiations with landowners for acquisition. The Union Ministry of Education has relaxed the earlier requirement of 10 lakh sq mts of land for setting up an IIT, following a request from the State government. This has paved the way for reconsidering smaller, more feasible land parcels for the project. The nine-member panel includes the Director of Technical Education, Director of Settlement and Land Records, Director of Agriculture, Chief Town Planner, Deputy Conservator of Forests, South District Registrar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Ponda), and a representative from IIT Goa. Nearly a decade after it was established in 2016, IIT Goa continues to function from its temporary campus at Farmagudi. Efforts to finalise land for a permanent campus have faced repeated delays due to public opposition and land-related challenges. LPG crisis sparks exodus of migrant labour force INDUSTRIES STRUGGLE OVER MANPOWER SHORTAGE, PRODUCTION TARGETS HIT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa’s industrial sector has begun facing a manpower crunch as hundreds of migrant labourers have left the State due to lack of access to cooking gas. The shortage of LPG, triggered by Middle East supply disruptions, has begun to sting manufacturing and pharma units. HR companies said the crisis escalated after the sale of 5 kg mini-cylinders, usually available over the counter at gas agencies, was abruptly stopped. For many migrant workers, these cylinders were the only affordable source of fuel. “It was their only source of cooking. "They (migrant labour) have left in hoards and now we are finding it difficult to source manpower being sought by our clients,” said 16 SPORTS Representative Image Vignesh Apte, director of Ananya Manpower Solutions Pvt Ltd. Apte added that several clients have been making continuous inquiries. “Despite a robust database of industrial workers, sourcing manpower has become extremely difficult. They are not willing to return unless assured that the LPG supply situation has normalised,” he said. Industry sources con- firmed that production operations are being hit. “The manufacturing sector is already feeling the strain. The pharma sector too has started facing delays,” one industry source said. Officials from industry associations, while unwilling to be quoted, admitted that manpower shortages have cropped up since the Middle >Continued on P7 ON 202 6 FRIDAY MAY 1, 2026 GOA @thegoanonline 2 9, log on to thegoan.net A P R IL Earlier proposed sites at Loliem (Canacona), Melauli (Sattari), Cotarli (Sanguem) and Codar (Ponda) were dropped following strong protests by locals. Other locations such as Rivona (Sanguem) and Dharbandora were also set aside due to difficulties in land acquisition. The prolonged delay in securing a permanent campus has affected the institute’s expansion plans. IIT Goa has missed out on key research and infrastructure grants, including additional funding announced by the Union Ministry of Education for newer IITs established after 2014. Five Bangladesh nationals wanted in dacoity cases brought to Goa THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Five Bangladeshi nationals, wanted in Dona Paula and Mapusa dacoity cases were brought to Goa on Thursday morning. The Crime Branch team of two inspectors and 20 personnel arrived with the accused via Rajdhani Express from Delhi. When asked about the sixth accused, the CB said that they will brief on the matter later. The accused were subsequently taken to the CB office in Ribandar from where they will be taken for medical examination followed by arrest formalities. The CB team had left for Delhi on Monday to take custody of the six Bangladeshi accused arrested by the Delhi CB in a midnight encounter on April 14-15. The accused are being investigated in two home invasion cases in Goa -- the violent robbery at the Dona Paula residence of elderly couple Jaiprakash and Padmini Dempo in April 2025, and the October 2025 dacoity at a doctor’s house in Ganeshpuri, Mapusa. State bets on cooperatives to Goa’s power losses rise, but better than Nat average POWER MINISTRY DATA: FACTS & FIGURES revitalise traditional sectors THE GOAN I NETWORK MINISTER ANNOUNCES FIVE-YEAR ROADMAP THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa on Thursday unveiled its first State Cooperative Policy, a move aimed at revitalising the sector and aligning it with national goals. Cooperation Minister Subhash Shirodkar launched the policy at a function in Porvorim, calling it a milestone for the State. The Cabinet had cleared the framework in February. It sets out a five-year roadmap from 2026 to 2030, with annual milestones and the policy is aligned with the Centre’s “Sahkar se Samridhi” vision but adapted to Goa’s specific requirements. Shirodkar said it would support agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, floriculture and even emerging areas such as information technology. “This will play a vital role in building a self-reliant Goa and contributing to a developed India,” he said. At the launch, agreements were signed with GCCI, GIPARD and the Biodiversity Board and nine online ser- vice modules for cooperative institutions were unveiled, marking a push towards digitisation. The Minister said that digital transformation will improve efficiency and transparency in the cooperative sector. Shirodkar claimed that when he took charge, the cooperative movement was sluggish. Many functions had been outsourced, and cooperative banks and credit societies were burdened with high >Continued on P7 PANAJI oa’s power sector has recorded a fresh increase in Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses, which rose to 10.39 per cent in 2024-25, reversing the improvement seen in 2023-24 when losses had fallen below the 10 per cent mark. However, the State continues to perform better than the national average of around 15 per cent. As per the latest data from the Union Power Ministry, AT&C losses increased from 9.09 per cent in 2023-24 to 10.39 per cent in 2024-25. The losses had remained relatively stable at around 9.32 per cent G „„AT&C losses increased from 9.09% (2023–24) to 10.39% (2024–25) „„Losses stable (9.3%) until mid2025, then rose sharply toward year-end „„Power consumption grew „„Billing efficiency improved slightly from 91.82% to 92.50% until mid-2025, before rising towards the end of the financial year. The data also shows a rise in power consumption. Goa’s net input energy increased to 5,388 million units (MU) in 2024-25, compared to 5,185 MU in the previous year. Simi- „„Main causes of higher losses: Delays in smart meter rollout, slow distribution, infra upgrades, ageing infra „„Commercial issues like power theft, faulty metering, billing gaps still persist „„Overall demand, billing efficiency improving, but losses rising larly, net energy sold went up to 4,970 MU from 4,761 MU. Despite the rise in losses, billing efficiency improved from 91.82 per cent to 92.50 per cent. AT&C losses indicate the gap between the electricity supplied and the revenue collected. These losses are caused by both technical issues, such as ageing infrastructure and overloaded systems, and commercial issues like power theft, faulty metering and billing inefficiencies. Officials said the increase in losses is mainly due to delays in rolling out smart meters and the slow progress of distribution revamp projects. Ageing power infrastructure and higher load on the system have also contributed to technical losses. At the same time, issues such as power theft and billing gaps continue to impact overall efficiency, even though revenue collection remains above 90 per cent. Despite the setback, the power department is confident of bringing losses under control in the current financial year. Officials said the ongoing installation of smart meters will help improve billing accuracy and enable real-time >Continued on P7