File photo of the explosion at the Ms Hughes magazine at Naqueri in March 2025.
MARGAO
The State government has declared the MsHughes Precision Manufacturing Pvt Ltd unit on the Naqueri plateau aninvestment promotion area (IPA), despite strong public objections and safetyconcerns following a magazine explosion in March 2025.
Dismissing public objections as insufficientand invalid, the government has declared 10,000 square metres of land an IPA. Thenotification effectively exempts the area from the applicability of certain Statelaws governing local authorities, including provisions relating to buildingconstruction, taxation and the collection of fees and other dues. The movecould also mean that requirements such as obtaining a conversion sanad and aconstruction licence from the local body may no longer apply within thenotified area, subject to the scope of the notification and other applicablelegal provisions.
In February 2026, Hughes PrecisionManufacturing Pvt Ltd had approached the Goa Investment Promotion andFacilitation Board (Goa-IPB) for the establishment of a dedicated propellantstorage facility in the area. At the time, Betul village panchayat had raisedobjections against the move, citing safety concerns following the fire andexplosion at the company’s magazine in March 2025.
The notification, issued by Under Secretary forIndustries Manesh Hari Kedar, appoints the chief executive officer of theGoa-IPB to assess and recover house tax, other taxes, fees and all other duesin accordance with the applicable laws.
It states that provisions of state lawsrelating to local authorities, including those governing the regulation andconstruction of buildings and the levy and collection of taxes, fees and otherdues, shall cease to apply within the notified area.
The notification further provides that themunicipal corporation, municipal council or village panchayat that previouslycollected house tax, other taxes or fees from occupants in the area will becompensated by the government for five years. The compensation will beequivalent to the amount collected by the respective local authority during thepreceding financial year.
In March 2025, an explosion at magazine No. 1 hadsent a fireball into the sky, triggering concerns among residents about therisks posed to the surrounding population. Subsequently, authorities reportedlyfound that the company had stored propellant in magazine No. 2 withoutobtaining all the requisite permissions. The company was later permitted totransport the propellant to its factory at the Verna Industrial Estate underthe close monitoring of the Quepem Mamlatdar.
