the goan I network
MARGAO
Boat owners are expecting their labour, mostly from Jharkhand, Odhissa and Chattisgarh, to return just in time for the season and are keeping their fingers crossed.
The delay in the arrival of the workforce has left the owners a bit worried. The boat owners informed that less than 50 per cent of the required manpower has returned till date.
President of the Cutbona Boat Owners Union Savio D'Silva informed that the labourers are expected to descend on the jetty only after completing the sowing of paddy in their native states, especially in Odisha. He said the workers have communicated to the owners that since the paddy sowing is underway in their native state, they will start coming to Goa only after August 10.
"The owners are looking at uncertainty because of the late arrival of the workforce. Since the local fishing industry is totally dependent on the migrant labour, this raises the question whether the new season should begin on August 1 or 15," Savio said.
Former Cutbona Boat Owners Union President Cipriano Cardozo pointed out that majority of the migrant workers haven't returned to the jetty. Cipriano along
with a couple of boat owners had travelled to Odisha, only to return back empty handed.
Cutbona all geared for fishing season
With just a day to go for the new fishing season to kick start on August 1, mechanized boat owners operating from the Cutbona, South Goa's fishing hub, are looking ahead to a good season, even as the hustle and bustle at the jetty is slowly returning after the two-month break.
