MARGAO, JULY 28
The Margao Municipal Council worker who was denied regularisation by the Civic body on Wednesday went on an indefinite hunger strike at the entrance to the Municipal building.
The hunger strike coincided with the celebration of the 41st birthday of the Margao Municipal Council Savio Coutinho.
Accompanied by his close relatives and CWC President Sriram Raiturkar, Wenceslan Silva went on the hunger strike in protest against the Municipal decision to ignore his candidature despite working in the civic body for the last 14 years.
The worker said he had put in various odd jobs in the Civic body during his long years of services, but lamented that only non-Goan candidates were considered by the Municipality for regularisation. “My name was there in the list of workers eligible for regularisation, but the Civic body considered the names of the Zamunis for regularisation”, he added.
Silva has put in around 14 years of services in the Civic body, having done works in the electricity and plumbing sections. “During all these years, I have also worked to clear the city gutters, but when the question came for regularisation of workers, the Civic body ignored me completely”, he added.
Incidentally, the CWC President Sriram Raiturkar said that Silva, being a ST candidate, was not considered for regularisation, while the Municipality has even recruited some workers from Cuncolim constituency represented by the Urban Development Minister, Joaquim Alemao.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho sympathised with the cause of the worker, having worked in the Civic body for over a long period of time. “I am of the opinion that Silva’s case needs to be considered positively. The matter is presently in the court”, Coutinho added.
