MARGAO
Crores of rupees were spent towards the expansion of the Cutbona jetty around half a decade ago, to cater to the growing requirements of the fishing stakeholders, with Cutbona emerging as the major fishing hub in South Goa.
Leave alone the inauguration of the extended portion of the jetty, around 222 metres in length, the extended jetty is not put to its intended use of facilitating the berthing of fishing vessels with the fish catch.
Boat owners say the extended portion of the jetty now plays host to the old and unused vessels for reasons best known to the Fisheries Department.
A visit to the Cutbona fishing jetty revealed that the old vessels are all anchored at the extended jetty portion when many a vessel has been facing hardships to unload catch at Cutbona.
That’s not all. One could come across fishing nets stacked at the jetty, besides scrap and other fishing items.
A year ago, Fisheries Director, Dr Shamila Monteiro issued a public notice warning the owners of the unused and scrap fishing boat to tow them away from the jetty. How many of the boat owners have complied with the directions remains unclear. And, it’s unclear whether the Fisheries Department has cracked a whip against the scrap vessels and whether any vessel has been towed away from the jetty.
