Team Herald
PANJIM: The children of freedom fighters organised a ‘Dharane Andolan’, a day-long protest at Azad Maidan on Monday where they criticised the government for failing to fulfil a long pending assurance of providing government jobs to them.
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Speakers at the protest highlighted how for the last two and a half years, the State government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had only been giving them empty promises.
Dr Shivaji Shet, president of the association recalled meetings that were held with the Chief Minister and Secretaries, where the CM had assured them about how the government would accommodate the children of freedom fighters in various government departments.
He lamented that despite that, the government had not moved forward as per what was conveyed to them, and thus they were holding this hunger strike. Their family members were present for the same. Shet added that there will be another mega ‘dharna’ on December 1 at the same venue and that they will continue to protest until they get justice.
He also spoke about how freedom fighters who have been protesting have fallen ill and been admitted to Goa Medical College (GMC) but are still fighting for the promised rights to their children in the form of these government jobs.
Another protestor recalled how the BJP State president Sadanand Shet Tanavade had met them during their last hunger strike at Azad Maidan in January 2021 and offered them lime water to drink when they had decided to end their ‘fast unto death’ strike based on the assurances given by the BJP State government. “What has happened to all the urgency that was shown by the government then? They said jobs would be given to us by March 31 of this year. Now we try knocking on their doors and are still told to wait and it’s almost the end of the year,” she said.
The protestors also pointed out that the government had recently promised to give them 100 permanent jobs and that the remaining persons would be accommodated under the Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRDC). They said only 23 people were given jobs and that they were not satisfied with the offers of jobs under GHRDC. They also insisted that whatever assurances are given henceforth is made in writing.
