Have the Fisheries department forgotten that there exists a 222-meter long jetty at Goa’s fishing hub, Cutbona -- expanded over half-a-decade ago, but is awaiting commissioning for the last five years?
The Cutbona fishing jetty has emerged as the state’s major fishing hub over the years with the jetty playing host to 200-odd vessels. To tide over the acute problem of berthing facilities for the fishing vessels at the fishing jetty, the then government had initiated an ambitious project for the expansion of the jetty to cater to the growing requirements. Work on the expanded portion of the jetty was completed in all respects around five years ago, raising hopes amongst the boat owners that space crunch plaguing the jetty may finally be the thing of the past. Sadly, while the 222-meter long jetty is in place, the facility has not been put to its intended use till date for reasons best known to the Fisheries department.
A visit to the Cutbona jetty would bring out the bitter truth that the 222-meter expanded portion of the jetty remains unutilized. When fishing boats were facing the issue of space constraint at Cutbona, prudence demanded that the long expanded portion of the jetty be put to effective use on priority.
But, consider this. The expanded portion of the jetty resembles a dumping yard, literally, thanks to the Fisheries department’s indifference and callousness in commissioning the jetty.
Presently, the long stretch of the jetty is used to stack dinghies of the fishing boats. Fishing nets are being stacked along the jetty stretch when it ought to have played host to activities for unloading the catch of the day. The stretch has come in handy for the boat owners to store plastic crates.
A further walk down the extended jetty would reveal that old and aging fishing boats lay anchored at the stretch, denying berthing facilities for the fishing boats.
Cutbona-based boat owners seemed perplexed over the delay in commissioning the expanded portion of the jetty. What has left the boat owners an agitated lot is the fact that while they are struggling to find berthing space to anchor their vessels at the jetty, their pleas to commission the facility on priority have all fallen on the deaf ears of the Fisheries department.
Around two years ago, then Fisheries Director, Dr Shamila Monteiro had issued a public notice to the boat owners to clear the scrap dumped along the expanded portion.
Chairman of Cutbona Fisheries society, Vinay Tari has lamented that the ground reality has not changed for the better till date. “The boat owners have been demanding to free the space along the expanded jetty for vessels to berth and unload the catch, but in vain. We have no idea why the infrastructure is kept idle when fishing boats struggle to berth at Cutbona,” Tari said.
At the commencement of the new fishing season around a month and fortnight ago, boat owners from Cutbona had set a deadline on the Fisheries department to tow away the fleet of aging vessels and free the space along the 222-meter stretch of the jetty. The Former Boat Owners President, Patrick D’Silva, had further threatened that the boat owners will tow away all the old and scrap boats from the jetty in the event the Fisheries Department fails to take action. Patrick, however, lamented that the Fisheries Department warned that the boat owners cannot take the law in their hands, reminding that the department is the owner of the jetty.
Former president of Cutbona Boat owners Union Savio D’Silva has echoed similar sentiments. “It seems the Fisheries Department has forgotten about the expanded portion of the jetty. Otherwise, how does one explain why the jetty has not been for its intended use for the last five years,” Savio questioned.
