VASCO: Tempers ran high at Western India Shipyard Ltd (WISL), Vasco, after the deputy collector evicted all the workers who were present in the company premises and locked the main gate with heavy police security, to begin the salvage operation of the cruise liner M V Qing following an order issued by the South Goa Collector, on Tuesday.
On July 22, South Goa Collector Swapnil Naik held a meeting of the members of South Goa District Disaster Management Authority on the grounded M V Qing.
The stakeholders present at the meeting requested the collector to facilitate unhindered access to WISL yard and provide security for carrying out salvage operations.
After hearing all the stake holders, the collector later issued an order under Section 30(2) (V) and section 34(C) of Disaster Management Act, 2005, directing the Mormugao Port Trust to take temporary possession of the WISL yard for salvaging M V Qing by August 31.
As no officials from WISL management till date gave any reply on the salvage operations of the vessel, the collector also asked the MPT to prepare proper documentation/inventory of the materials present on the WISL yard, besides giving police protection to salvage operation team.
Acting on the directions of the collector, Deputy Collector Gaurish Sankhalwakar, using police force, evicted the workers from the WISL premises.
The eviction by the deputy collector triggered tension at the WISL premises as the workers present in the yard refused to come out. They also demanded to know why such actions were initiated against them.
The situation turned grimmer when more WISL workers, and even those on indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan, rushed in to support the evicted workers. Union Leader Ajit Singh Rane too rushed in and joined the protesting workers.
Deputy Collector Sankhalwakar tried to pacify the workers saying that they have been evicted from the WISL premises only tem-
porarily till August 31, to give unhindered access for salvaging M V Qing. However, the aggrieved workers refused to listen to Sankhalwakar and continued with their protest for hours.
