Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Congress on Tuesday mounted pressure on the Goa government over the long-pending demands of Electricity Department contract meter readers, setting September 20 as the deadline to resolve the issue.
A Congress delegation led by Goa Congress president Amit Patkar reached Vidyut Bhavan in Panaji and staged a protest, alleging that several meter readers have remained on contract for nearly 12 years despite rendering continuous service.
Patkar said the workers have been waiting for justice for years and deserve permanent employment along with the benefits available to regular government employees. He warned that if the government fails to address their grievances by September 20, the Congress will launch another round of agitation at Vidyut Bhavan after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
The delegation urged the Electricity Department to expedite the regularisation of eligible contract workers and provide them with employment benefits without further delay.
Responding to the concerns raised, department officials informed the delegation that the process of regularising contractual employees with more than 10 years of service is already in progress. They said eligible employees will also receive benefits including Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), health insurance and paid leave once the process is completed.
The Congress said it will closely monitor the government’s response over the coming weeks and decide its next course of action based on the progress made before the September 20 deadline.
