Traditional fishermen in Goa popularly called Ramponkars are facing the threat of extinction and their enemy is no longer the mechanized fishing vessels but the very government they elected and its lopsided policies aimed at promoting business class at the cost of the traditional occupations. While the massive expansion planned by Mormugao Port Trust threatens the existence of ramponkars in Vasco area, the nationalization of rivers poses a grave threat to the inhabitants of the 45 inland fishing villages in the State where there are significant numbers of ramponkars and use of LED lights for fishing may well annihilate the marine life. The Kharewado beach at Vasco is already reduced drastically with no sand dunes found on half the beach and the remaining half the sand dunes exist for only 35 metres while earlier the whole beach was covered by dune admeasuring 400 metres said Olencio Simoes, Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott General Secretary. If this is the fate with MPT carrying out only maintenance dredging one can imagine what will happen if it is permitted to go for the capital dredging, he said explaining that maintenance dredging is undertaken only to maintain the depth of the navigational channel which is presently 14.5 metres deep. However, MPT wanted to increase the channel depth to 19.5 metres for which no public hearing was held as mandated and the Ministry of Environment and Forest fraudulently gave it permission on grounds that public hearing is not required for maintenance dredging. We succeeded in proving our case before the NGT and the capital dredging is stopped as of now, said Olenico adding that it would is a big step in preserving the coastline and the little beach stretch surviving in Vasco. The ramponkars are also worried about the extra berths sought to be constructed by MPT. Kharewado beach is sought to be divided by the finger tier jetty berth there, said Olencio pointing out that once this is constructed, the ramponkars will not be able to carry out their traditional occupation in that area. Another threat for the ramponkars living in the 45 fishing villages as the rivers will be dredged thereby finishing the existing marine life in them. But a greater worry for the ramponkars is that the government may use concrete to prepare the navigable channels in rivers which would totally annihilate the marine life and not give any scope for the ramponkars to continue their traditional occupation. MPT that is claiming jurisdiction over 53 kms of Goa’s 105 kms coastline will also take control over the rivers once they are nationalized and with the proposed satellite port at Betul, we shall be totally under their dominion, cautioned Olencio. He opined that the order to demolish around 60 houses of ramponkars affecting around 400 people is to prepare area for MPT’s connectivity with a four lane highway as the double tracking of the railway line has already commenced. The use of LED lights for fishing by mechanized vessels is another threat faced by the ramponkars.