Bicholim: Laid off mining workers on Friday protested by blocking vehicles carrying ore at Dingne, Surla, in North Goa. Police arrived at the spot and dispersed the protesters who said they will not give in and continue to protest until their demands are met.The protesters said that 84 of them were retrenched in July last year. They have been agitating outside the company for over two weeks, but they said that their demands are not being considered.Sameer Vaigankar, one of the retrenched employees, said the company has replaced them with people from outside Goa. After they petitioned the chief minister, he had instructed the mining firm to reinstate them, said Vaigankar.Another protester, Dasharath Bhamaikar, said that if they are not reinstated in the next few days, they will intensify their protest.
