Verna Industrial Estate, one of the biggest industrial areas in State, literally turns dark and desolate during the night, without proper illumination and malfunctioning streetlights.
Thousands of workers employed in the industrial area have a harrowing time negotiating through the darkness while returning home after duty hours.
Ironically, the failure of Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) to maintain streetlights has led to the death of two workers who recently lost their lives due to snake bite while walking to the bus stop from their place of work after duty hours.
What’s more, women workers seem to be the hardest hit, as they have to walk back in darkness after work and recent reports of assaults on women have frightened them further.
“Last week, when I was walking back with my colleague we had a nightmarish experience as two persons on a motorcycle stopped in front of us and started passing lewd remarks. Frightened, we raised an alarm and subsequently they ran away,” a 26-years-old woman, who works in a factory in Verna IDC, said.
In fact, several other people whom Herald met on Tuesday night at Verna IDC raised similar safety concerns, specially about the safety of women employees. Some said they are scared of being robbed; some say they are scared to walk in the dark after the two workers died due to snake bite. However, everyone has a common plea to repair the streetlights without any further delay.
“Not a single streetlight is functional all over the Verna industrial estate and this affects all those who do not use motorised forms of transport. As the streetlights are not functional, most roads here are not safe. We have no option but to pass through the dark stretches and take each step with the constant fear of danger lurking in some corner. At times, our guiding light is the torch in our mobile phones or the headlights of passing,” Deepak Tejam, who works as assistant accountant in a company at Verna said.
According to Shruthi Desai, who works in a factory at Verna, though there are street lights visible during day time but they are actually defunct. “The MLA or minister may have visited the area during the day time and so they have no clue about how the industrial area looks during the night. Walking through such dark roads is not advisable and building safe spaces should be a collective concern and responsibility of the State government. Well lit street would reduce fear, especially for women, she said.
There are various reasons why people, more so women feel unsafe whenever they are out from their workplace at Verna industrial estate.
Police records point out that different types of crimes, such as murder, robbery, theft, accidents and even rapes get frequently reported from Verna industrial estate area.
Taking serious note of the same, the Verna Industries Association (VIA) had even voiced their demand for a full-fledge police station, or a police outpost for Verna industrial area.
“We are totally upset with the way our industrial area has been neglected by the authorities concerned. In name of infrastructure tax GIDC collects money from industrial units. Even we are paying maximum rate for power supply but in return they gives us the last priority, as far as providing services is concerned. If it was selling plots they (GIDC) are on their toes but for such small thing like streetlights they are least bothered, leaving workers to face hardships,” VIA President Damodar Kochkar said.
Meanwhile, since the past one month this correspondent has been following up the issue of defunct streetlights with the Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar as well as other in the GIDC.
Initially Madkaikar promised to resolve the issue by giving directions to his officers to get all the street light repaired in a week’s time, however, when this correspondent approached him again, 15 days ago, Madkaikar claimed his department would not be in the position to repair the streetlights as a policy decision in this regard was yet to be taken by the State government.
On the other hand, sources in the office of GIDC informed that in March GIDC had officially asked the power department to take over the streetlights and maintain the same henceforth. However, in reply the chief electrical engineer of electricity department asked GIDC to maintain the streetlights till the streetlight policy for Goa was declared.
The confusion between GIDC and power department has left people working in the industrial area scared and worried.
During the night the entire industrial area is plunged into darkness.
It is high time that government steps in to a resolve this issue on priority.
