VASCO
Vasco Police on Wednesday arrested a man on charges of abusing a supervisor of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) garage, after confusion prevailed over allotment of labourers to clean a ward at Mangor-Vasco.
According to supervisor Shamu Naik, the accused, Basappa Lamani, picked up an argument over piling of garbage near a Gurudwara at Mangor.
“Lamani demanded that labourers clear the garbage, but his request was turned down as he was neither from the MMC nor a councillor,” said Naik.
“I don't know who is this Lamani, and as I turned down his request, he started abusing me, flung the log book and caught hold of my collar. Later, he caught hold of my hand and tried to drag me out of the office and was about to hit me,” Naik stated.
“When the labourers noticed that Lamani was about to hit me, they intervened and released me from Lamani's clutches,” he added.
“As the labourers refused to join duty until Lamani was booked, I brought the matter to the notice of MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik, who directed the labourers not to allow Lamani to leave the premises till he reached the garage and filed a police complaint,” said Naik.
“We detained Lamani at the garage and the Chairperson informed the police about the incident,” he said.
Sources at the garage told The Goan that whenever a Councillor wants labourers, they send their people from their respective wards and demand the labourer, instead of going to the garage.
“If we refuse, then these people abuse us and even threaten to initiate action against us. If any Councillor wants labourers, then he/she should come to the garage, sign the log book and then take the labourers to avoid such incidents,” said the source.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Deepak Naik said he had requested the police to register an FIR against Lamani, after listening to the grievances of the labourers and supervisor Shamu Naik.
When asked whether any person from the ward could take labourers as per his whims and fancies, Naik replied: “Only a Councillor of the respective ward has the right to take labourers from the garage after completing the formalities.”
When contacted, Vasco Police said they arrested Lamani under Sections 353, 332. 450 and Vasco PSI Rohan Magdaonkar is investigating the case.
