Team Herald
PANJIM: Around 1000 odd students were stranded at the Cujira Integrated School Complex on Monday after mining dependents paralysed Panjim. The only good news was that no Class XII students missed their HSSC board exams. Not only college students, but even small children from the primary level remained hungry and were stranded at their schools as their parents were caught in the traffic jams caused by the agitation.
“As per our reports no incident of any student missing their examination was reported. All the students answered the examination. Tomorrow there is no holiday and some students have an optional paper – secretarial practice,” Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary School (GBSHSE) chairman Ramkrishna Samant said.
According to students, they reached their examination halls on time, however, they were stranded after finishing their papers.
The stranded students were primarily from Porvorim and other areas who needed to cross the bus stand to reach home. Students also said that they were stuck in public transport for almost two hours.
“We reached the examination centre on time, however, we were stranded later and due to that our study time was wasted. These mining depending do not have any decency, this kind of behaviour is not acceptable,” said a student who answered the HSSC exam at Cujira School Complex
A parent Sameer Kerkar said, “I left from Povorim to pick up my child from Sharada Mandir School but was stranded on the bridge for almost two hours. They cannot block the roads and inconvenience the people.”
A team of BJP workers, led by Sidharth Kuncalienker and Dattaprasad Naik reached out to stranded passengers and students at Cujira.
“We request people to maintain restraint and let government take up the matter at a proper forum to find a solution to the issue,” Kuncalienker said.
However, frustrated students, parents and teachers blamed protestors for holding the city and the people at ransom. They also blamed police for failing to control the situation.
