Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Seven electrical workers lost their lives and 22 others were injured in electrocution accidents while on duty in Goa over the past three years, according to information provided by Power Minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar.
Official records show that a total of 29 incidents involving electrical workers were reported during the period. Of these, seven proved fatal while 22 workers sustained non-fatal injuries.
The government has provided financial assistance depending on the severity of the incident. Injured workers were generally given compensation of around Rs 20,000. In cases of death, the families of the deceased were sanctioned higher compensation, amounting to about Rs 27 lakh.
As part of its relief measures, the government has also offered compassionate appointments to family members of deceased employees. Jobs have already been granted to the wives of late Manoj W. Jambavalikar and late Ladu Pednekar.
However, in the case of late Uday R. Naik, the appointment is still pending. His widow has informed the Deputy Collector that she does not wish to take up the job herself and instead requested that the appointment be given to her son.
Meanwhile, the Power Department has said it is implementing several measures to improve safety for electrical workers. These include providing protective gear such as shock-proof rubber gloves, helmets, insulated pliers, safety shoes and shorting rods.
The department is also conducting regular training and safety awareness programmes through the Staff Training Centre at Curti, Ponda, along with periodic safety talks at divisional and sub-divisional levels.
Authorities also highlighted the risk of “back feed” from consumer inverters and generators, which can send electricity back into lines while workers are carrying out repairs. To address this, the government issued a press note in July 2025 reminding consumers that the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission mandates the installation of 4-pole or 2-pole changeover switches to prevent such incidents.
