Team Herald
MARGAO: The Goan Seamen Association of India on Friday met NRI Commissioner Narendra
Sawaikar and Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar and earnestly requested them to prevail upon the Central government to relax the five year ban on Indian CDC to only one year.
The Association President Franklin D’Costa admitted that seafarers violated the law by attaching fake certificates to their application for Indian CDC. As many seafarers working on the ship had not answered their SSC, out of desperation and fearing that they would lose their jobs they attached fake SSC certificates to their applications.
However, when the certificates were found to be fake the applicant was served a notice stating that he was banned from applying for an Indian CDC for five years and now the seafarers face the prospect of being unemployed for that period of time.
Franklin disclosed that they have been contacted by around 40 people who have got such notices and said there would be more. While admitting that the seafarers violated the law in getting fake certificates for which some paid even Rs. 25,000; he said they had requested the authorities to relax the ban from five years to only one year.
“Babu Kavlekar and Narendra Sawaikar agreed to fix up an appointment with officials in Delhi and I shall accompany them to discuss this issue,” said Franklin.
He said the other issues taken up with Narendra and Babu today were about medical facilities for retired seafarers and their family member. He said they have asked that the first agreement signed by NUSI with the land owner namely Sociedade Agricola dos Gauncares de Cuncolim.
He asserted that the land was given to NUSI following an undertaking that the medical facilities would be provided at a reduced cost to seafarers and their families and further pointed out that land at Chinchinim was given at a subsidized rate so that some seats at the institute would be reserved for Goan students.
