MLA Viresh Borkar Raises Alarm Over Safety Lapses in Goa Electricity Department
MLA Viresh Borkar, representing the Goa Legislative Assembly, has strongly condemned the ongoing safety lapses within the state’s Electricity Department, highlighting a disturbing pattern of fatal workplace accidents due to insufficient safety measures.
According to Borkar, a total of nine fatalities and 52 accidents have been reported in recent years, directly attributed to inadequate safety protocols. He emphasized that 17 workers have suffered serious falls from weak and defective ladders—some of them fatally injured. These ladders, prone to bending under the workers’ weight, are so unstable they require two people simply to keep them upright, sharply increasing the risk to employees performing essential maintenance.
Despite the availability of significant resources—₹234 crores allocated in 2022–23 and ₹355 crores in 2023–24 for departmental improvements—these funds remain unutilized. The funds, meant for the enhancement of worker safety and modernization of equipment, have yet to be deployed for their intended purpose.
Borkar has called on the Electricity Department to immediately implement newly introduced motorized lifts and hydraulic systems, which are designed to improve worker safety and reduce the risk of fatal accidents. He described the department’s current inaction as “a serious case of negligence” and urged authorities to address the situation before further loss of life occurs.
The MLA’s plea comes amid rising concern among workers’ unions and civil society organizations demanding greater accountability and swifter action to ensure the safety and well-being of Goa’s electricity department personnel.
