Goa’s true blue sons of the soil and the sea, boat owners have been struggling to keep their businesses afloat due to absolute neglect and zero cooperation from the Fisheries Department. The underlying feeling among many of these dedicated Goan sons is that the fisheries department is meant only for the “big fish”. It’s been nearly two months since the fishing ban was lifted, but boat owners from Cutbona and the neighbouring areas such as Betul, etc, continue to complain of the pathetic conditions prevailing at the Cutbona jetty which have not been addressed to date.
Disappointed with the Fisheries Minister and Fisheries Director for failing to fulfil the assurances and for not inspecting the jetty, Savio Da Silva, former president of Cutbona Boat Owners’ Association said, “The lack of support has been a major point of frustration. The potholed roads have made it difficult for the drivers to move their vehicles in or out of the jetty.”
The boat owners pointed out that in the recently concluded Assembly session, the Fisheries Department had stated that the toilets were in working condition but in reality, these are not being used. Da Silva said the Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar needs to check these issues personally.
The boat owners criticised the department for being proactive in issuing notices and completely lethargic in addressing the infrastructure and other related concerns at the jetty. They said that the security guards deployed at the gates of the jetty are not doing an excellent job as certain activities continue to take place inside the jetty premises.
The government has failed to address the issues with regard to navigation the boat owners face at the mouth of River Sal due presence of the sand bar.
When the boat owners met local MLAs and others, they made it clear that the delay occurred due to the slow pace of coordination between the Fisheries Department and the Captain of Ports (CoP) as they said that decisions need to be taken by both the departments regarding the construction of the training wall at the mouth of the River Sal.
While there is no longer a block from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the government has been asked to obtain an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) before carrying out the work. It is to be noted that the work had been tendered in the past and that the government is preparing revised estimates.
Due to the sandbar at the mouth of the River, the navigational channel is blocked and the boats can only cross that area during favourable tide levels. The fishing community has constantly demanded that a retaining wall and a breakwater facility be constructed to ensure that they no longer have to face hardship and losses suffered over the last decade.
But they are unfortunately facing a totally different wall of neglect and apathy from the very system that needs to protect them as a duty.