MARGAO
Just imagine a situation when the Director of Fisheries and the health authorities have been engaged in correspondence with each other for well close to six years over a proposal to set up a 50-seater toilet block at the Cutbona fishing jetty for the thousands of migrant crew.
Indeed, while the Cutbona fishing jetty has been crying for attention over the years, both the Fisheries Director and the Balli Primary Health Centre have been only dispatching correspondence to each other, instead of having a joint meeting and resolving the issues over the proposed toilet block and the setting up of the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) and toilet block at the jetty.
Otherwise, just consider this. In a recent letter addressed to the Balli PHC Health Officer, Fisheries Director Dr Shamila Monteiro pointed out that the proposal to build the 50-seater toilet block was mooted by the department way back in December 2014.
Dr Monteiro, however, pointed out that the project could not take off as the health officer on February 2015 recommended the construction of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for the proposed work.
Since then, both the Fisheries Director and the Balli PHC have been involved in writing to each other series of letters over the NOC required for the setting up the STP at the jetty for the 50-seater toilet block.
The NOC was sought for the construction, installation and commissioning of the 50KLD sewage treatment plant, besides construction of the 50-seater toilet block, including washroom, at the jetty.
In the recent letter, the Fisheries Director has stated that till date, the department has received no reply from the health centre, while making a request to the latter to treat the matter as most urgent.
Incidentally, Balli PHC Health Officer, Dr Mamata Kakodkar in her letter dated August 27 to the Fisheries director had pointed out that though the PHC had asked the Fisheries Department to submit certain documents such as consent to establish STP from the Goa State Pollution Control Board, TCP clearance order etc, no such correspondence has been received till date.
Boat owners and local residents of Cutbona are wondering why aren't the Fisheries Director and the Balli PHC health officer holding a joint meeting to resolve the issue, which has been hanging fire for close to six years.
“Just correspondence will not help resolve the issue over the NOCs. The two authorities should show the will and hold a joint meeting where all the issues are addressed and the sanitation and the STP plant becomes a reality,” remarked a local resident.
Sadly, the intervention of the district authorities, including successive sub-divisional magistrates, has failed to resolve the burning issue of sanitation at the jetty.
The Cutbona fishing jetty has just a lone sulabh toilet block and two bio-toilets located in the fisheries complex though it plays host to around 3000-4000 migrant labourers during the peak fishing season.
