the goan I network
MARGAO
Goan seafarers working on the Cruise liners have a question or two for the Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and the BJP-led Goa government “ why is the Shipping Director insisting for SSC for Indian Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) if the foreign cruise companies have no issue with their educational qualifications.
This question is doing the rounds within the Goan seafarers community as it’s exactly a month now since the Directorate of Shipping made SSC certificate mandatory for issuing Indian CDC for seafarers working on the cruise liners, but Goan seamen are still awaiting the Centre and the Goa government to persuaded the Shipping Director to withdraw the qualification for the CDC.
As of now, around 50-odd Goan seamen, working on cruise liners, who had come down for vacation, find themselves in deep trouble, since they cannot join the cruise liners sans an Indian CDC with the Shipping Director insisting on SSC certificate to issue the CDC.
While the beleaguered seamen have knocked the doors of the South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai to intervene with the Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and save them from further trouble, the ground reality remains unchanged.
Says spokesman of Goan Seamen Association of India, Dixon Vaz: “Time is indeed running out for the Goa government and the Centre to get the Shipping Director relax the educational qualification for seamen applying for the Indian CDC. Already, 50-odd seafarers, working on the cruise liners, who had come on vacation, cannot join back for want of SSC and the Indian CDC. This will only aggravate the unemployment problem affecting Goan youth.
Dixon pointed out that when foreign cruise liners are willing to recruit Goan seaman for any position, the Shipping Director has unnecessarily put spokes in the employment prospects of Goan seamen. “I can say that around 900-1000 Goan seamen will be hit hard by the Shipping Director’s order making SSC qualification mandatory for Indian CDC. The government in the State and the Centre should move quickly before the seamen suddenly find themselves unemployed,” he added.
Both the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesdai and the South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar had dashed off letters to Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari to intervene and resolve the problem faced by the beleaguered Goan seafarers, but there’s been resolution forthcoming from the Centre or the Shipping Director till date.
Meanwhile, the Goan Seamen Association of India and NRI department (seafarers cell), government of India will have a meeting on March 5 at 10.30 am at GSAI office Madel, Margao to discuss and deliberate threadbare on the issue. The meeting will be chaired by NRI Director along with Captain of ports official.
