STHRIGDHARA NAIK
sthrigdhara@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Serious allegations have surfaced against Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) staff of demanding rent for granting permission to protest at Azad Maidan.
Contractual staff of the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) protesting at Panjim, on Wednesday accused officials of the CCP of asking them to pay a random sum as rent to carry out their protest at Azad Maidan.
IPHB protestors said that two different officials of the CCP asked them to pay two different rates as per day rent charge for protesting at Azad Maidan.
Panjim Mayor Rohit Monserrate said that any CCP official or staff member involved in asking the rent would be suspended immediately.
Former Mayor Uday Madkaikar told media that CCP has so far never charged any such rent from protestors at Azad Maidan. “CCP had never charged any protestors neither do we have any plan to do so,” Madkaikar said.
He further said that he is unaware about any such thing and according to him the act of charging rent from the protestors is incorrect.
Deputy Mayor Sanjeev Naik said he is unaware of any such rent being charged by CCP from the protestors and added that he would look into the matter.
It may be recalled that the contractual workers of IPHB have been agitating at Azad Maidan, Panjim since last week demanding regularisation in service.
