Kharewaddo jetty is crowded with boats as fishermen await pending repairs and facility upgrades.
VASCO
As the new fishing season sets sail, a stark contradiction hangs over the Kharewaddo jetty in Vasco.
While local boat owners decry years of neglect and claim the jetty lies in disrepair, the local MLA insists that it has been fully restored and made structurally sound.
Between assurances of elected representatives and the lived reality of the fishing community, frustration is mounting, and faith in government intervention is wearing thin. Despite repeated appeals, memorandums, and meetings with successive fisheries ministers over the last two-and-half decades, the concerns of stakeholders remain unaddressed.
This year, for the first time in recent memory, even the routine pre-season maintenance work has not been carried out, leaving boat owners disillusioned. “All our hopes have faded. We’ve made countless representations over the years, but not a single demand has been fulfilled. It feels like Kharewaddo jetty has been abandoned by the State. We are being treated like stepchildren,” said Jose Philip D’Souza, president of the All Goa Fishing Boat Owners Association.
D’Souza noted that even assurances given by Union Minister of Fisheries Purshottam Rupala during a site visit had amounted to little. “The union minister visited, made lofty promises, and left. Nothing has moved since. We've given up expecting anything from the government,” he said.
According to D’Souza, the jetty now suffers from severe overcrowding and poses safety risks to fishing vessels. “We have over 250 boats, and they simply cannot be accommodated here. Collisions are frequent. Boats crash against one another, causing costly damage. I couldn’t even send my boat out this season — it developed holes after scraping against the jetty,” he lamented.
And the economic toll has been steep. “Boat owners are spending more on repairs than they earn during the season. Many are being forced to abandon this traditional livelihood and consider work abroad to survive,” D’Souza said, adding that even fuel subsidies — particularly the VAT reimbursements — remain unpaid.
Adding to the woes is the glaring lack of basic amenities at the jetty, particularly sanitation facilities for workers and crew. “There’s not a single public toilet at this jetty, despite the large number of workers here daily. During a cholera outbreak at the Cutbona jetty last year, the government had promised to build toilets at all major jetties. But here, nothing has materialised. We even met officials from Sulabh Souchalaya and the PWD — they said tenders were floated. Yet, we’re still waiting,” said another boat owner, visibly frustrated.
While the fishermen express helplessness, political voices have attempted to draw attention to the issue. Goa Forward Party chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has repeatedly raised the matter in the Legislative Assembly, at one point likening the condition of the Kharewaddo jetty to that of “Somalia.” Still, the fishermen say, the silence from the government has been deafening.
However, Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar offered a sharply different narrative.
“The jetty was in a poor state earlier, but I personally took up the issue. The fisheries department has carried out major repairs, using rail tracks and other reinforcements to ensure durability. The jetty is now structurally sound, and we do not foresee the need for further repairs anytime soon,” he said.
Salkar admitted that some of the auxiliary works, such as sanitation and facility upgrades, remain pending.
“Those works are currently in the tendering stage. As soon as the process is complete, the necessary amenities will be installed. Government procedures take time, but they are moving forward,” he assured.
For now, as the sea beckons and the season begins, the fishermen of Kharewaddo continue to battle not just the elements, but a deep-rooted sense of neglect. The boats may sail — but the trust, many say, has long since sunk.
