OLD GOA
The GMC kiosk owners and fruit vendors, who have not been rehabilitated as yet, staged a peaceful protest outside the residence of St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes on Monday, to denounce the delay in their rehabilitation despite assurances given to them.
Around 30 affected kiosk owners and fruit vendors participated in the protest from 9.30 am to 12 noon.
Among the protestors included elderly men and women who braved the scorching heat with placards in their hands, demanding that they be allowed to earn their livelihood which they lost since the demolition took place three months back.
After the end of the peaceful protest, they have now decided to move the protest to GMC-Bambolim on Tuesday.
A kiosk owner, Domnic Pereira, told reporters that they have begun the peaceful protest outside the MLA’s residence so that he takes up the issue in the Assembly and get it resolved.
“We have been given assurances for the past three months, even by the chief minister, but nothing has happened. We will protest till a concrete action on rehabilitation happens,” Pereira said.
“We were not earning easy money as we have to work hard,” Pereira pointed out, while stating that they are not connected to any political party and their fight is for their livelihood.
Santa Cruz panch Prasad Naik took out his anger against the ruling dispensation and questioned why their rehabilitation is delayed despite assurance being made by the chief minister himself.
“Both the MLAs are in the ruling. Then why is the government not listening to them? Both of them said they joined the government for development, so why is our issue not being resolved? Is this development?” Naik posed.
“Today, we are protesting at the door of St Cruz MLA and if our issue is not raised in the Assembly, we will protest at the residence of St Andre MLA,” Naik added, while decrying that people who were once earning their own livelihood have now been forced to work for others.
One of the affected persons, Altaf, said, “I was eking out a living from whatever I earned from the kiosk. I have a wife and three children to support. Now, I don’t know how to look after my family.”
Shakuntala Chodankar informed that they are forced to survive on borrowed money.
“We are not earning since the past four months, which has forced us to survive on borrowed money. But how much are we supposed to borrow?” Chodankar questioned and requested the CM to help them in this hour of despair.
A widow, Leena Shirodkar, said they are not outsiders but Goans and demanded that the government should come to their rescue.
