the goan I network
MARGAO
Traditional fishermen along Salcete coastline were all preoccupied to tow their country-made fishing boats to safe locations on the beach following warnings that strong cyclonic winds are expected to hit the coast from Thursday night.
Around 18 country-made motorized fishing canoes were towed to safer places on the beach, with some of the vessels anchored in private properties. The fishermen are sore the authorities did not send the red alert on time and they came to know of the situation only on Thursday morning.
A traditional fishermen from Benaulim, Pele Fernandes told The Goan that he came across the country-made fishing vessels right in the sea water on early Thursday morning when he had come to venture out into the sea. “At once, we realized that rough weather conditions prevailed in the sea and got the manpower to tow away all the fishing vessels to safer places on the beach,” he said.
Pele, however, expressed his resentment that the authorities did not sent out the red alert on time. “Yesterday, the government had notified the orange alert and by morning, the red alert was in place,” he said, adding that it was fortunate that the traditional fishermen did not sustain any major damages.
