VASCO: With most public transport vehicles off the road due to the nationwide bandh, people on Wednesday had a tough time getting to Dabolim International Airport and Vasco Railway Station. Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) came to the rescue of passengers at the airport.
“We knew there could be trouble at the airport, and thus, I personally decided to check the situation there. My assumption was correct as the passengers were seen stranded. I decided to deploy KTC buses on several routes and even a special bus service to Calangute. Similarly, we kept enough KTC buses on other routes in the State. For fear of being attacked, many people refused to travel, and so the buses had to ply with very few passengers,” informed Carlos Almeida, Vasco MLA and KTC Chairman.
The bandh called by the All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation (AIRTWF) evoked a mixed response in Mormugao.
While most commercial establishments, including fish, vegetable, and mutton shops, remained opened in Vasco, the situation was different in Sancoale, where shops and markets opened only in the evening.
Operations at Sancoale and Verna industrial estates were also briefly hindered, as workers were not allowed to enter the premises. Around 200 members of the workers’ union blocked the main gate and access road of Verna IDC in the morning and used force to stop workers from entering.
Operations at Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) were also paralysed after both workers’ unions blocked MPT’s main gate and administrative building.
Dy SP Mohan Naik and other police inspectors from Vasco, Mormugao and Dabolim police station rushed to the site to take control of the situation. Naik said, “I initially gave the union members ten minutes to protest and later asked them to clear the road. As they failed to comply, I ordered their arrest. Verna police arrested 98 people, while the Verna IDC entrance was manned throughout the day. No untoward incidents were reported later in any part of my jurisdiction.
Verna Industries Association (VIA) president Damodar Kochkar claimed that over 90 percent of the industries in Verna were operational despite the strong protest at the estate’s main gate. He said, “The manual roadblock occurred at around 9 am, but most workers at different industries had reported to work before 8.30 am. We had few issues as the police were initially refusing to take action against the people blocking the road. However, the Dy SP intervened, action was initiated and the roadblock was cleared.”
A similar incident was witnessed at Birla-Zuarinagar, where over 300 people blocked the entrances and exits of Zuari Industries. However, operations at the industries continued as all permanent workers had already joined duty, informed a Zuari Industries official.
