Last fortnight at Azad Maidan, Panjim, I attended the Hunger strike – a daylong activity in support of the unemployed Goans and also those who were retrenched from the Mining Companies. Some of them are having their families to look after while others have their loans to repay and still others so many other financial obligations. They cry saying the government is least bothered to know their plight while others say there is no government in Goa functioning in the absence of CM.
During the whole day they said not a single government emissary visited them to enquire about their plight leave aside the ruling party MLA or any Minister. And by the way why they should take interest in them? Let them go to hell, they must be saying. In Konkani they say “KUNKOD MELEM FUNKOT GELEM”.
Somewhere in 1957/58 there was a chaos in the Mining belt where because of the dispute between Sesa Goa management and workers the mining activity came to an abrupt halt sending shivers in the veins of many of the Sesa’s employees. Then Sesa as per my information readied itself to close down its operations in Goa and put the employees on the road. This news reached to Salazar in Portugal who immediately advised Governador Vassalo e Silva to stop Sesa going ahead with their anti-workers policy but find a solution. Then Sesa management did not terminate anyone but for few months made the employees sit at home on half the salary till the solution was found. The question that Salazar posed to Goa Governador was: Who will then support the employees and their families?
It is a pity that the outsider Salazar was more sympathetic to Goans than our own insiders who without compassion put the people working in the Mining companies on the road.
The Mining companies accumulated crores and crores and according to the Shah Commission Report thousand of crores these companies owe to Goa and Goans. Instead of utilising this amount for the benefit of affected Goans, Government is pampering the Mine Owners. There should be justice done to the affected Goans.
A.Veronica Fernandes.