the goan I network
VASCO
While the decision was taken to enable authorities conduct salvaging operations to control the oil spillage from the grounded vessel ‘M V Qing’, the eviction of workers led to sharp protests from the striking workers.
Acting swiftly on the order, Mormugao Deputy Collector Gaurish Shankwalkar directed Mormugao DySP Sucheta Desai, who went along with a strong police force from Vasco and Mormugao police stations to the dockyard and evicted 20-odd workers present at the yard. The police vacated the workers and the company’s security guards and took possession of the dockyard, stationing CISF personnel at the gate.
In his order on Tuesday, Naik directed MPT to take over WISL dockyard under the Disaster Management Act 2005, to “conduct salvage operations to control spillage of oil from the grounded vessel MV Qing for a limited period up to August 31.”
“The MPT is hereby directed to make a proper documentation/inventory of the materials present on the said dockyard in the presence of Dy Collector and SDO Mormugao and police to ensure safety of the same and also authorizes to take necessary steps, if there are any hindrances during the said operation and to ensure security of the staff deployed for the said process.”
When Shankwalkar was contacted at the yard to explain the huge police presence at WISL and his order to vacate the workers from the yard, he claimed to have been following the order of the South Goa Collector to carry out the inventory.
“The order is temporary and the collector directed MPT to takeover the charge of the yard from July 26 to August 31 to carry out salvaging operation. Once the salvaging is done, the workers will be allowed to enter the yard,” said Shankwalkar.
“We have to carry out the inventory proceeding through video filming, due to which the workers are ordered to vacate the place. According to the report from experts of the salvaging company, the oil tanks started developing cracks and there is urgent need to pump out oil to avoid a major disaster,” added Shankwalkar.
The collector’s order, however, caught WISL workers present at the dockyard off guard, as they were not aware of any such order and they began agitating outside the
WISL gate.
The agitated workers confronted DySP Desai and sought to know why they were being vacated from the yard, when the order did not explicitly mention about vacating the workers.
Speaking to The Goan, the union general secretary Seby Pereira said the South Goa Collector had failed to send them a copy of the order in advance. “The action of Shankwalkar and the police took us by surprise. Some of our comrades are attending the agitation at Panaji and about 20 of our other comrades were sitting peacefully inside the yard. Shankwalkar stormed into the yard with a strong police force and forcibly vacated us,” said Pereira. “It was shocking to hear Shankwalkar ordering the police to use force if we did not go out and even resort to lathi-charge and break our limbs if we further disobeyed them,” added Pereira.
Police acted on order: PI
VASCO: Defending police action to evict the striking workers, Mormugao PI Kapil Nayak said the police had acted on orders from Mormugao Deputy Collector Gaurish Shankwalkar to vacate workers from the yard at Western India Shipyard Ltd.
Asked if Shankwalkar had directed them to use force to vacate the striking workers if they failed to obey their order, Nayak said the police had acted only on orders of Shankwalkar to vacate the workers, but refused to comment on the threat to use force.
Later speaking to The Goan, DySP Desai said they had received an order from the South Goa Collector to hand over the premises to MPT and to carry out documentation/inventory of the assets inside the yard.
“We have only followed the Collector’s order and accordingly vacated the workers and handed over the dockyard to Shankwalkar to carry out necessary proceedings through video filming,” said Desai.
