PANJIM, MARCH 26
After waiting for almost a week, the 75 malaria workers sitting on a hunger strike to get back their jobs near the Captain of Ports jetty, here, had some VIP personalities visiting them to lend an ear to their grievances.
Opposition leader Manohar Parrikar, State BJP President Laxmikant Parsekar, Mormugao MLA Milind Naik, BJP Spokesman Govind Parvatkar, former MLA Rajendra Arlekar and Santa Cruz MLA’s son Rudolph visited the workers and took note of their grievances.
President of Injustice Malaria Workers’ Union Premdas Gaonkar said the Opposition leader and State BJP President had sympathised with them and had assured of taking up the issue in the assembly on Saturday.
Gaonkar said both, the Chief Minister and the Health Minister, had passed by them but none had bothered to get down and even ask them about their problem. “With what face does the CM call his government as that of aam admi (common man)?” he questioned.
The malaria workers have maintained they were terminated abruptly after 14 years of service in June 2009. In 2007 these workers were given offers for regularisation and had even undergone medical test, but after another year and half they were told the offer of regularisation was withdrawn.
Today was the seventh day of their hunger strike and they have decided to continue till a settlement was reached into their problem.
