Team Herald
PANJIM: Anganwadi workers are the silent soldiers who ensure that children in rural areas are not malnourished. But for the past 32 days, a group of them are fighting against losing their jobs.
But the tragedy is that after their relay strike, they started a hunger strike at Panjim. And for 11 days (which is the 32nd day since the relay strike started) no one in the system has come to even speak to them. Their deteriorating health conditions are only matched by what they say are poor civic and safety conditions at Azad maidan
Seven members of the Goa Union of Anganwadi Workers (GUAW) were terminated from their services entered Day 32 of the chain strike and Day 11 of the hunger strike on Sunday. They demand that their termination order be revoked.
President of GUAW, Devyani Tamse said, “It has been 11 days we are on the hunger strike but the government is behaving as if they have lost the humanity. None of the authorities neither the concerned minister nor the concerned department is bothered to give even a courtesy visit to know and discuss our difficulties and the situation we are going through,” he added.
“This government speaks about women empowerment, providing a safe and better place for women, and protecting the women. No availability of water in the pay toilet/washroom of Azad Maidan, unhygienic condition to spend the days, fear of being attacked by goons and the addicts at night time, and deterioration of health condition of the protestors are what we are facing daily. Is this how the government is giving safety and security to the women,” asked Tamse.
She also informed that one of the seven protesting workers, Pournima Gaonkar from Shiroda, who was shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Saturday has been admitted to the private hospital since the doctors from GMC said that the worker had been brought to the hospital when she was in a very bad condition.
