Bandh flops in Goa

PANJIM, SEPT 7
The bandh call given by the Goa Convention of Workers as part of the nationwide strike evoked poor response in the State.
All government departments remained opened with employees reporting to work on time as usual.
Employees of the electricity and river navigation departments too reported on duty. The government had warned the employees of these departments against joining the strike invoking sections of the Essential Services Management Act.
“The workers reported as usual and there was no impact of the strike on our department,” Chief Electrical Engineer Nirmal Barganza told Herald.
However, banking services were partially affected with some co-operatives as well as a  few nationalized banks remaining closed.
Bank of Goa Chairman Ramakant Khalap told Herald that the services were affected in some villages.
“About 50 per cent of our branches were closed due to absence of employees,” he said adding, “Most of the branches in major towns remained opened.” 
The Kadamba Transport Corporation buses too were seen plying on the road as usual.
KTC Chairman Dipak Dhavalikar said that none of the employees attended the strike.
“As per my knowledge no one attended strike. All the buses were running and offices were open,” he told this paper.
However, there was some impact of the strike in the city, which witnessed heavy traffic jam due to the morcha carried out by the workers in the morning. Over 1,000 workers gathered at the KTC bus stand and went round in the city before culminating near the Captain of Ports jetty.
Despite the poor response, AITUC General Secretary Chiristopher Fonseca said the rally drew an overwhelming crowd of about 10,000 workers from government, semi-government and other sectors of Goa.
“The participation of workers was overwhelming despite dampening rain. People reached even before the rally could begin at KTC bus stand in the morning whereas others joined in the midst of the rally,” he told Herald.
He said that the rally was to get justice for 85 percent unorganised workers in Goa. He claimed that some workers joined even till the culmination of the rally.
The striking workers demanded raising the minimum wages of all daily, casual and contract workers to Rs 300, ban on contract labour employment in all government, public private and commercial establishments and services in permanent job operations and ensuring regularization of the services of the workers on the rolls of the respective establishments/services, etc.
The union also alleged that certain cabinet ministers were appointing people from their respective constituencies into government jobs. “This is a clarion call against the government and a struggle to hit back and force it to control and roll back skyrocketing prices of food grains and essential commodities including prices of petroleum products, cooking gas, kerosene, diesel, etc,” Fonseca further said.
The attitude of the Central government of not abiding by the Supreme Court directions on distributing outsized stocks of food grains to the poor population of the country has also been criticized by it.
Vasco reporter adds:
The nationwide strike called by trade unions against price rise on Tuesday had little impact in the port town.
Transport services, including private bus operators and KTC services were in operation. Most government offices, including Mormugao Port, Mormugao Municipal Council and Mamlatdar’s office, functioned smoothly.
Government’s decision to invoke ESMA forced Electricity Department employees to provide service, as the operation was normal in Vasco.
Verna Industrial Estate, the biggest industrial estate in the State, had hardly any impact, as the operation in most of the industrial units was smooth.
“We made all provisions to thwart any law and order problem due to the strike and operations at Verna Industrial Estate was normal since morning,” said Verna Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi. However, the banking sector was affected as most of the banks in the port town had closed its operation