Goa Legislative Assembly

“This House strongly recommends the Government to enact a Legislation, in a time bound manner and in any case not later than six months, to establish and regulate crematorium/burial grounds for all sections of the society, at all Panchayats in the State of Goa. The Government to acquire land and set up facilities at the earliest and hand them over to local self-Government bodies for the benefit of all sections of society as in many places in Goa people are still facing grave difficulties in conducting final rites of the deceased members in a dignified manner”.
 

This House urges the Central Government in its wisdom to take all such necessary steps, including appropriate Legislative measures, to ameliorate the social and economic chaos which has befallen the State of Goa and its economy, due to the complete closure of Mining operations in the State. The Legislative measures are needed to harmonise mining law specifically enacted for  Mining Concessions in Goa with the amendment of 2015 to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 by the Central Government so as to ensure that under the federal spirit, Goa is on an even keel with the rest of the Country keeping in mind its uniqueness.

SHRI MANOHAR PARRIKAR, Chief Minister replied to the points raised by the Mover.

The Resolution was passed unanimously.

This House strongly recommends the Government to implement meters in all the Taxis in Goa forthwith, and also to come out with strong legislations, to enforce the taxi permit conditions, so that the tourists, as well as the locals are not over charged, as Goa is getting a bad name on account of high handedness of certain taxi operators. 

SHRI MANOHAR PARRIKAR, Chief Minister replied to the points raised by the Mover.

The Resolution was withdrawn by the leave of the House.

“Attention of the House is drawn as regards the works taken by contractors who are quoting 35% to 45% below the estimated cost put to tender by which quality of works is likely to be affected, thus leading to sub standard works. The steps the Government intends to take in this regard”.   

Attention of the House is drawn to provide homes to the homeless through the Scheme for Rural Homeless.  The steps the Government intends to take in this regard

“Attention of the House is drawn to the attempt to create fear and anxiety by misrepresenting the provisions of the Goa Escheats, Forfeiture and Bona Vacantia Act, 2024, whose principles are embedded in the Constitution of India, specially within Article 296. The Bill seeks to protect land of Goans specially those lying vacant and abandoned and are at risk from illegal encroachments, fraudulent transfers and land grabbers. The steps the Government will take to clarify and counter the false propaganda on the said Act”.

Attention of the House is called as regards the residents of Rivona, Caurem Pirla, and surrounding villages due to frequent power outages and long periods of irregular power supply. Poor power infrastructure has led to these frequent power cuts which has caused major hardships to the day to day functioning of the locals. The steps the Government intends to take and the time frame within which the issue will be resolved.

Attention of the House is called to the cultivators specially seasonal traditional cultivators from Farmagudi, Bandora and surrounding areas of Ponda and Quepem Taluka not being original owners of land due to washing out and damage of seasonal crops like Cucumber, Bitter Gourd, Ridge Gourd, Brinjal, Radish, Pumpkin, Jasmine Flowers, etc. due to heavy rainfall for the past 15 days; being the only business of local people and they being dependent entirely on this seasonal earning. The steps Government intends to take to provide financial assistance to these local traditional cultivators

Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLA moved the following:

“This House congratulates Mrs. Hema Sardessai a Goan singing sensation for being selected by Tony Mercedes to sing for Prestigious Hollywood Music Albums in U.S.A., thus bringing name and fame to the State of Goa on the International Singing field.”

The following Members spoke on the Motion:-

1. Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLA                                                              …….   3 13 PM
2. Shri Glenn Ticlo Souza, MLA                                                     …….   3 17 PM
3.  Shri Mauvin Godinho, Minister for Panchayats                 …….   3 18 PM
4.  Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister                                 …….   3 21 PM
5. Shri Michael Lobo, Deputy Speaker                                       …….   3 22 PM

The Motion was adopted unanimously.

Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLAmoved the following:

“This House congratulates Shri Sandesh Sonu Naik resident of Ribandar who have awarded “The outstanding Achiever of the Year Award” the top lion award from CITY & GUILDS, London and is the first Asian who win the lion award from CITY and GUILDS, London also was chosen for the award from over 20 lakhs students worldwide.”

SHRI NILESH CABRAL, MLA moved the following:

“This House congratulates Master Anurag Mhamal for becoming First Goan Grandmaster in the International Chess Games thus bringing pride and glory to Goa.”

The following Members spoke on the Motions:-

1. Shri Chandrakant Kavalekar, Leader of Opposition..   12 36 PM
2. Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLA                                              ……    12 43 PM
3. Shri Digambar Kamat, MLA                                        ……    12 43 PM
4. Shri Pravin Zantye, MLA                                             ……    12 45 PM
5. Shri Antonio Fernandes, MLA                                    ……    12 47 PM
6. Shri Prasad Gaonkar, MLA                                          ……    12 50 PM
7. Shri Churchill Alemao, MLA                                       ……    12 51 PM
8. Shri Glenn Souza Ticlo, MLA                                      ……    12 52 PM
9. Shri Manohar Azgaonkar, Minister for Sports    ……    12 53 PM

10. Dr. Pramod Sawant, Speaker                         ……    12 59 PM

The Motions were adopted unanimously.

Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLA moved the following:

“This House congratulates Suvet Satish Lotlikar for winning an individual Gold in Bench Press event by lifting 60kgs and also in the composite event bench press 60kg, squat 70 kgs and dead lift 77.25 kgs also for Gold in his weight group of 74-83 kgs in Power Lifting Championship held for Special Olympics Bharat at Kolhapur from 9^th to 14^th July, 2017 and who was an only Goan participant in this event.”

The following Members spoke on the Motion:-

1. Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLA                                            ……    3 19 PM
2. Shri Carlos Almeida, MLA                                        ……    3 22 PM
3. Shri Deepak Pauskar, MLA                                       ……    3 23 PM
4. Shri Glenn Souza Ticlo, MLA                                   ……    3 24 PM
5. Smt. Alina Saldanha, MLA                                        ……    3 25 PM
6. Shri Prasad Gaonkar, MLA                                       ……    3 27 PM
7. Shri Chandrakant Kavalekar, Leader of Opposition..3 28 PM
8. Shri Manohar Azgaonkar, Minister for Sports……     3 29 PM
9. Dr. Pramod Sawant, Speaker                                  ……    3 32 PM

The Motion was adopted unanimously.

SHRI NILESH CABRAL, MLA moved the following:
“This House condoles the death of Fr. Peter Rodrigues, Superior of Agnel Ashram,Verna,Goa who founded most of the Institutions in the Verna Educational Hub this includes PCCE Engineering College and Catering College, Innovation Centre and also founded the newly Commissioned Engineering college of Assagao.more than 7000 students are benefited by this noble caused founded by him annually. In his death Goa has lost a Educationalist who has founded and conveys the deep sympathies to his Institute who had been able Administrator.”
3
The following Members spoke on the Condolatory Motions:
1. Shri Nilesh Cabral, MLA…………………………………12 40 PM
2. Shri Aleixo R. Lourenco, MLA…………………………..12 41 PM
3. Shri Francisco M. Pacheco, MLA………………………...12 41PM
4. Shri Digambar Kamat, MLA………………………..........12 44PM
5. Shri Mauvin Godinho, MLA………………………..........12 45 PM
6. Shri Pratapsingh R. Rane, Leader of Opposition….....12 47 PM
7. Shri Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, Minister for PWD…….12 49 PM
8. Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister………….......12 53 PM

The attention of the house is drawn to the fact that in several places across theState, including areas of Curchorem Constituency, acquired government lands exists; however, essential statutory processes such as acquisition, mutation, partition, and proper entry in the land revenue records have not been completed till date.

Due to the absence of timely mutation and updating of land records, such government lands remain vulnerable and, in many cases, have been subjected to fraudulent registrations, illegal transfers, creation of third-party interests, and unauthorised sale deeds by private individuals, causing serious loss to the State exchequer and resulting in prolonged litigation. This situation has also led to administrative confusion, misuse of public land, delay in development projects, and erosion of public confidence in land governance and revenue administration. I therefore, seek the steps the Government intends to take in this matter.

Fear and anxiety in the minds of Carnival float participants and traditional cultural groups across Goa regarding their participation in the forthcoming Carnival festival.

Carnival is an internationally recognised cultural event and a major tourism attraction of our State. However, the participants who form its backbone are facing serious financial difficulties. The prize money for Carnival floats, especially in the traditional category, has remained unchanged for more than ten years, despite a steep rise in costs of fabrication, logistics, manpower, and materials.

Hon’ble Speaker Sir, the first prize amount of Rs. 1 lakh has become grossly inadequate, making it difficult for participants to even recover their expenditure. This has created apprehension that many traditional groups may opt out, which will adversely affect the quality and cultural richness of the Carnival.

Considering the international stature of the event and the large tourist inflow during the Carnival period, there is a genuine demand for revision and enhancement of prize money ahead of the forthcoming Carnival scheduled from 14th to 17th February 2026.

I request the Hon’ble Tourism Minister to apprise this House of the steps the Government intends to take to revise the prize structure and provide adequate support to Carnival participants, so that this iconic festival continues with full spirit and dignity.

Fear and anxiety in the minds of people regarding a matter of serious public importance relating to fire safety compliance in commercial, public, and hospitality establishments across Goa.

The recent incidents and subsequent inspections have once again highlighted gaps in fire safety preparedness, including non-functional equipment, expired no-objection certificates, inadequate emergency exits, and poor adherence to safety norms in certain establishments. These concerns are not limited to nightlife venues alone, but also extend to restaurants, lodges, shopping complexes, government buildings, and public institutions, including in South Goa.

While the Government has initiated inspections and enforcement drives, fire safety must not be reactive or seasonal. It requires continuous monitoring, periodic audits, and strict compliance, as public safety cannot be compromised under any circumstances.

I therefore request the Hon’ble Chief Minister to kindly inform this House  the steps the Government intends to take to ensure inter-departmental coordination between Fire Services, Municipal Bodies, Panchayats.

Hon’ble Speaker Sir,

Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in the minds of the people of Goa arising from the prolonged delays in execution of key road and infrastructure projects across the State, as have also been flagged by the the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India.

Sir, several critical road works, including highways, bypasses, and connectivity projects, such as Four-laning from Zuari bridge approaches to Margao bypass, Highway expansion from Ponda to Bhoma which are vital for public safety, economic activity, tourism movement, and daily commuting, are reportedly running far behind the approved timelines, in some cases by more than a year. These delays have resulted in incomplete stretches, unsafe diversions, traffic bottlenecks, frequent accidents, and severe inconvenience to citizens, particularly students, workers, patients, and emergency services.

Hon’ble Speaker, infrastructure is the backbone of development, and such prolonged delays not only escalate project costs but also expose the public to daily risk. The people are anxious to know when these works will actually be completed and who will be held accountable for the delay.

I therefore seek to ask the Hon’ble Minister concerned what concrete steps the Government intends to take to fix responsibility for delays, ensure strict time-bound completion of ongoing road projects,and restore public confidence by ensuring safety and transparency in infrastructure execution across the State.

Thank you, Sir.

Fear and anxiety in the minds of people, especially among parents and guardians, as school safety in Goa comes under serious question. A recent NCERT survey \"Parakh Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024\" under Union Education Ministry has revealed that 29% of students in Goa reported being physically hit by their peers, and 23% of schools do not have any anti-bullying policy in place. This is a deeply troubling indicator that our children are increasingly exposed to environments of fear, intimidation, and emotional distress within institutions meant to nurture and educate them.

The lack of standardised guidelines, absence of trained counselors, and inadequate response mechanisms have created a vacuum that is impacting the mental health and overall well-being of students across the state. Incidents of bullying both physical and psychological often go unreported due to stigma and fear of retaliation, while teachers and school administrators remain under-equipped to handle such sensitive issues effectively.

Therefore, I urge the Chief Minister to urgently take up the matter of child safety in schools on priority and direct all educational institutions government and private alike to mandatorily implement anti-bullying policies with immediate effect and also inform the house that what  steps the Government intends to take to ensure that every student in Goa feels safe, protected, and respected within their school environment.