PANJIM: A local canteen operator at the Goa Medical College (GMC) has urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to intervene into his alleged forceful eviction while charging Health Minister Vishwajit Rane of introducing non-Goans into this business. Ranjan Mayekar and his kin, who have been running the canteen since 2014, have vehemently opposed to the manner in which, he has been evicted from the premise.
“I have been getting threats for the last few days to shut the canteen at GMC. With great difficulty, I managed to get the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) licence after the licence ended in 2018. It came as a shock to us when we get a notice to vacate the canteen 16 days ago. I replied seeking one month’s time but I am facing consequences for no fault,” Mayekar said while addressing a press conference outside the GMC Complex on Friday.
The businessman alleged that Rane has been deliberately attempting to harass him in order to replace him with a non-Goan company. Mayekar stated that despite former Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar extending all the required assistance within the purview of the law, the Health Minister began harassing him nearly a fortnight after the former CM‘s death.
“Sudden FDA raids in the canteen and other authorities concerned issuing us notices, which were meant to harass us. We did not realise this initially. I was allotted the GMC canteen in 2014 but got the possession in 2016 after the intervention from (late) Parrikar,” he recalled adding “Within a fortnight after then CM’s death, the Health Minister made attempts to harass us. Recently there was tender to run the canteen wherein conditions like company’s turnover be Rs 15 crore annual, etc were imposed by the present minister only to make sure that no Goan is given the opportunity.”
Mayekar brothers have sought CM Sawant’s intervention alleging that Health Minister Rane is acting as per his own whims and fancies.
