MARGAO
But for these government servants, who unfailingly headed to the Margao railway station, sometimes late in the night and on other occasions before dawn, the news might have come as a huge relief.
Reason: For over three months now, these government employees had virtually made the Margao railway station their second home to ensure passengers alighting at the station were thoroughly screened before they headed to their destinations.
In fact, around 20-odd employees drawn from various government departments and headed by Deputy Collector Margao John Fernandes had been working in shifts at the Margao railway station over the last three months as frontline workers.
They worked at the station almost every day, exposing themselves to the risk of getting infected with coronavirus as they were entrusted the task of screening each and every passenger alighting.
The government’s decision ensured that they need not go to the station any more.
In fact, no sooner the government unveiled its decision on Monday noon, these employees stopped reporting at the Margao railway station late Monday night to screen passengers.
The thermal scanner, which was procured for the purpose of screening the passengers, has since been handed over to the South Goa District Collector.
“It was very tiring for us to work at the Margao railway station for over three months now. Sometimes, the trains used to chug in late in the night and some in the wee hours of the day. We discharged our duties to the best of our abilities during the three months,” an employee told The Goan.
The teams had bifurcated the work amongst themselves, with one of them asking the passengers for self-declaration, the second one taking receipts of those volunteering for the Covid test and the remaining staff stamping the hands with the home quarantine stamps.
