MARGAO
Unlike in the past, the Cutbona fishing jetty is now equipped with improved sanitation facilities to cater to the thousands of migrant workers employed on fishing vessels operating from the State's largest fishing hub.
A new 50-seater toilet complex, in addition to an existing nine-seater toilet block and around 15 bathrooms, has been put in place following the cholera and diarrhoea scare that gripped the jetty during the last two fishing seasons.
The expanded sanitation infrastructure is considered adequate for the jetty that accommodates over 200 vessels and nearly 5,000 migrant workers during the peak fishing season.
However, maintaining these facilities has become a major challenge for Sulabh International, the agency entrusted with their upkeep.
Sulabh officials say the agency has neither been permitted to levy user charges for the sanitation facilities nor has the Fisheries Department honoured its assurance to reimburse the expenditure incurred on their maintenance.
Frustrated over the mounting financial burden, Sulabh is now contemplating reintroducing user fees for migrant workers using the toilets and bathrooms at the jetty.
The agency has written to the Fisheries Department, stating that it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the sanitation facilities in the absence of any revenue or government reimbursement.
The State government had earlier directed Sulabh not to collect user fees, reasoning that charging workers could discourage them from using the toilets and instead lead to open defecation in nearby fields.
Sulabh officials, however, say the arrangement has become financially unsustainable.
"The agency was assured by the Fisheries Department that the sanitation facilities should be kept free for users on the grounds that migrant workers might otherwise resort to open defecation to avoid paying the fees. However, the department has not compensated the agency for keeping the facilities free," a Sulabh official said.
He added that, besides routine maintenance, the agency is also bearing the cost of hiring water tankers and night-soil tankers to transport sewage to the PWD sewage treatment plant.
"These are recurring expenses and involve considerable costs, making it increasingly difficult for the agency to continue maintaining the facilities without financial support," the official said.
Govt-cleared maintenance fee plan yet to be implemented
MARGAO: In May last year, the Fisheries Department issued a circular proposing the collection of maintenance fees from stakeholders operating at the fishing jetty to meet the operational expenses of the sanitation facilities.
Under the proposal, a monthly toilet maintenance fee of Rs 1,000 was to be levied on trawlers, Rs 3,000 on trawler-cum-purse seiners, and Rs 3,000 on fish traders conducting business at the jetty.
Although the proposal was reportedly vetted by the government, it triggered concerns among boat owners, who questioned the rationale behind the proposed charges and the criteria adopted to arrive at the fee structure.
Boat owners also expressed reservations over the user fees notified by the department, arguing that their implementation would generate revenue running into several lakhs of rupees every month. They sought greater transparency in the calculation of the rates as well as the maintenance costs claimed by Sulabh.
However, despite the proposal receiving government approval, the circular has remained unimplemented to date.
Sulabh Int'l cites unpaid dues, rejects role in collecting fees
MARGAO: Confusion has surfaced over the collection of user fees for the maintenance of sanitation facilities at the Cutbona fishing jetty, with the Fisheries Department and Sulabh International appearing to differ on who should collect the charges from boat owners.
Fisheries director Dr Shamila Monteiro said the department has already notified a fee structure for the upkeep of the sanitation facilities and issued a circular prescribing user fees for boat owners and fish agents operating at the jetty.
Speaking to The Goan, Dr Monteiro said boat owners would be required to pay the fees specified in the circular to meet the maintenance costs of the sanitation facilities.
Sulabh International, however, maintained that it has no role in collecting the user charges from boat owners. A senior Sulabh official said it was the responsibility of the Fisheries Department, having issued the circular, to implement it.
“Since the Fisheries Department has issued the circular, it is incumbent upon them to enforce it. We cannot approach boat owners and ask them to pay the maintenance fees prescribed in the circular issued by the Fisheries Director,” the official said.
The official further claimed that Sulabh has not received any reimbursement from the Fisheries Department for maintaining the facilities free of charge for fishing crew members.
“We have not received any reimbursement from the department for keeping the sanitation facilities free for the fishing crew. We have already requested the Fisheries Department to allow Sulabh to resume the pay-and-use model from the new fishing season beginning August 1. So far, we have not received any response,” the official said.
Warning that the existing arrangement may not continue, the official added that Sulabh would go ahead with the pay-and-use system if the department failed to respond before the commencement of the new fishing season.
