Chief Minister Pramod Sawant interacting with Colva fishermen ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
MARGAO
For the traditional fishing community of Colva, elections have often brought a familiar cycle of promises and assurances. During both Goa Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, political leaders across party lines have repeatedly promised to earmark land for fishermen to continue their traditional occupation, including fish drying, storage of salt and fishing nets, and other related activities along the shoreline.
The issue has remained unresolved for decades because part of the seafront land used by the fishermen belongs to the government. Every election season, uncertainty over the land resurfaces, with politicians assuring the community that they would not be displaced and would instead be rehabilitated within their own habitat.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the fishing village, where members of the traditional fishing community once again demanded rehabilitation measures that would allow them to continue their livelihood without disruption. With elections approaching at the time, the fishermen said they were once again given assurances.
The anxiety among the fishermen is not new. Long before the Tourism Department acquired a portion of land in the fishing ward adjoining the world-famous Colva beach decades ago, generations of fishermen had been carrying out their activities there.
The fishermen say successive governments have repeatedly been approached with appeals not to uproot them from their traditional occupation, but instead rehabilitate them within the coastal belt, where their livelihood remains closely tied to the sea.
At one stage, an attempt to demolish structures built on government land and used for storing dry fish, salt and fishing equipment had sparked a major uproar in the village, drawing strong opposition from the community.
The fishermen recalled that after the BJP came to power in the 2012 Assembly elections under the leadership of late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, the government had assured them that their fishing activities would not be disturbed until proper rehabilitation was carried out. Since then, the community has continued its activities on the disputed land.
However, concerns have resurfaced after the Tourism Department proposed projects under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme to give a facelift to the iconic Colva beach by creating additional tourist amenities. Members of the fishing community fear that beautification and tourism-driven development could once again threaten their traditional space and livelihood.
“Our activities are closely connected to the sea. We cannot be rehabilitated away from the shore because our livelihood depends entirely on access to the coastline,” said a traditional fisherman.
He added, “Every election season, we receive promises from all and sundry about rehabilitation. But once the polls are over, the issue is forgotten.”
