TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: On June 23, 2014, when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar led the people of Goa to usher in the Sao Joao revelry at the defunct Benaulim pilot prawn hatchery, his Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado promised the beleaguered staff of the hatchery that they would be absorbed in the Fisheries or any other government or semi-government department depending on vacancies.
Last week saw the Fisheries Department advertising a host of vacancies, but the advertisement held out no good news for the 29 hatchery staffers as it contains no proposal for their absorption in the department as promised.
A beleaguered staffer remarked whether they would have any avenues for absorption when their own Fisheries Department has no place for them.
When Herald contacted Fisheries Director Dr Sharmila Monteiro to throw light on the Fisheries Department’s vacancies and the prospects of absorption of the prawn hatchery staff, she declined to comment saying the she has nothing to say on the government decision.
Incidentally, Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado said he would discuss with the Chief Minister how best to accommodate the prawn hatchery staff in the government and semi-government departments. When his attention was drawn to the fact that there’s no proposal to absorb the prawn hatchery staff vis-a-vis the vacancies advertised by the Fisheries Department, Avertano said the government would work out a solution.
With no signs of early absorption in the Fisheries Department, the hatchery staff again plan to call on the Chief Minister and impress upon him to absorb them in government or semi-government organisations.
Interestingly, the 29 hatchery staff had met the Chief Minister and the Fisheries Minister umpteen number of times since the last two years and half with their proposal for absorption, but in vain.
Of the 29 staff members of the defunct hatchery, sources said around 9-10 staffers are working in the South Goa District Collectorate, while the remaining staff is still employed with the hatchery which has been lying in the dumps for over half a decade now.
The hatchery staff, sources said, does not enjoy the 6th pay commission benefits on grounds they are not putting in any work at the hatchery.
When the employees had last met the Chief Minister, he had promised to resolve the issue by Ganesh Chathurti. Though the file concerning the matter is pending with the Chief Minister, the employees are indeed keeping their fingers crossed on their very fate as they pin their hopes on Parrikar to resolve their half-a-decade-old demand for absorption in government
department.
