from Special Correspondent
for Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)
Panaji, Aug 20: The State government has invoked Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) against the government employees who have struck work on Wednesday August 20.
"We have invoked ESMA and have asked the government employees not to join the strike," transport minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar told legislative assembly on Wednesday.
The state's life is partially paralyzed after River navigation department employees manning the inland ferry boat service, state government run Kadamba Transport corporation limited (KTCL) employees and industrial estates struck work expressing solidarity to the call given by the trade unions.
The issue was raised on the floor of the house by the legislators during the ongoing state legislative assembly session.
The minister said that River Navigation employees are asked to join back work or appropriate action would be taken against them for violating ESMA.
Dhavalikar stated that the KTCL buses were not much affected due to the strike.
The life in the state, however, remains affected as the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) activists blocked Margao-Panaji highway at Verna industrial estate in the morning.
Later the labour union activists blocked the D B Bandodkar road in the capital city of Panaji this afternoon. Traffic jam was witnessed in the city with the activists continuing to block the road.
The police had mounted presence along the major roads as the private buses continued plying on their regular schedule.
Though KTCL buses were plying in the morning, by afternoon, majority of them were off the road.
The islanders from Diwar and Chorao island remained cut off from the mainland as the River Navigation department staff refused to ply the ferry boat services. Without the bridges, these islanders are entirely dependent on the ferry boat services to reach the mainland.
The ferry service to Diwar island was resumed after Port Minister Fransisco Pacheco intervened and commissioned private crew to ply the ferries. The island has 10,000 people who were deprived of basic amenities since morning.
"The islanders would have been in trouble, if they had remained stranded there… Our attempts are on to ensure that other ferry services are also resumed," Pacheco stated.
State airport, however, remained unaffected with the strike. "We are not having any problem as hardly any ground staff has struck the work. The flights are on time," airport director D Paul Manickam stated.