Human rights body seeks water connection for Shiroda senior citizen couple

Panaji: Goa Human Rights Commission on Friday recommended that a separate water connection be provided to a senior citizen couple occupying a portion of the family house in Shiroda. The panchayat had denied the couple a no-objection certificate (NOC) for a separate water connection on the grounds that only one water connection is permitted per house number.
Govt notification dated Dec 28, 2023, states that an applicant must have a different house number, part number, or a court order for the structure to obtain an additional water connection. The commission’s members, Desmond D’Costa and Pramod Kamat, recommended that a freshwater connection be provided to the portion of the house where she and her family reside, in the interest of public health and to protect her human rights. The commission stated that the cost would be borne by her.
The commission observed that the Goa Public Health Act 1985 reiterates that essential services like water and electricity supply are human rights and are necessary to maintain basic human living conditions. The senior citizen occupant of the house complained to the commission about being denied a water supply and stated that on April 2, 2025, the water supply to the portion of the house where she and her husband reside was disconnected, affecting daily living.
She stated that the water connection was registered in her father-in-law’s name, to which she contributed 50 per cent of its installation and ongoing water charges. However, she added that her brother-in-law (husband’s younger brother) fraudulently transferred the water connection to his name, depriving them of a necessity. During the hearing before the commission, the brother-in-law said he had no objection if his elder brother was granted a separate water connection.
Representatives of the Shiroda panchayat, the primary health centre Shiroda, and the woman’s brother-in-law were present for the hearing before the commission, but the representative of the PWD water supply division, Quela, was absent.