PANJIM: Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed its displeasure over the State government’s decision to declare March 18 as a public holiday claiming that “such holidays should not be declared for local body elections to avoid loss of production and business.”
Government has announced March 18, the day of polling for Zilla Panchayat elections, as a public holiday across the State.
“The Chamber has repeatedly brought to the notice of the State Government vide several representations earlier that such holidays for local body elections should not be declared so as to avoid loss of production and business. GCCI observes that such holidays are being routinely declared without any application of mind to the detriment of the industry. Also, such notifications disrupt the harmony between the management and the workforce,” R S Kamat, Secretary General, GCCI has said in a statement issued here.
GCCI has advised all industries and commercial establishments in private sectors to allow adequate time off to all bona fide electors/voters employed by them to enable them to exercise their voting rights.
Kamat said government’s notification declaring public holiday is issued under explanation to section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 (Act 26 of 1881) read with the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs notification dated June 28, 1973, the section that does not empower the Government to declare public holidays to industrial and commercial establishments in the private sector.
