MARGAO
Traditional fishermen from Benaulim may find themselves at sea as the Fisheries department is gearing up to take the process set in motion in 2021 to set up the proposed shrimp and fin fish hatchery project at the defunct sea facing Benaulim prawn hatchery land to the logical conclusion.
Emboldened by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s announcement in his budget in support of the proposed shrimp and fin fish hatchery project under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the Fisheries Department has decided to take the process to the next step, which will culminate in floating of tender before the land admeasuring 50,000 square metres is handed over to the private players to set up the project.
Fisheries Director Dr Shamila Monteiro was clear in saying that the Fisheries Department is taking the process, which was set in motion over a year ago, to a logical conclusion. She said the department had already floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) and some parties submitted proposals.
“We are in the process of taking the process to the next level before a tender is floated to zero in on the prospective bidder to set up the shrimp and fin fish hatchery project under the PPP model,” she told The Goan on Wednesday.
Fishermen, however, say that the government and Fisheries Department cannot ignore their demands for a portion of the hatchery land to anchor their fishing nets during the monsoons.
A visit to the Benaulim beach on Wednesday revealed that the canoes are all anchored on the shore.
Reason? The fishing season has not ended with the fishermen still venturing out into the sea with canoes as the weather conditions offer a conducive environment for fishing.
The fishermen know that they have to wind up their activity by May end or the beginning of June. The question bothering the fishermen is how and where to anchor the canoes during the lean season, as they cannot afford to leave their boats on the shore battered by huge waves during the monsoons. Hence, they had set their eyes on a portion of the sprawling 50,000 square metres of sea-facing land acquired by the government in the 90s to set up the now-defunct pilot prawn hatchery.
The fishermen have been asked for a bare 5,000 square meters of the land to anchor their boats during monsoons and to pursue fishing activities, including the sale of fish, an ice plant, fish drying, storage of nets and salt etc. The fishermen had also made a written demand to the Fisheries Department to take them as partners in the development of the hatchery land so that the local community also benefits.
During a cyclone mock drill held last year, the hatchery land was found safe to store the canoes in the event of a disaster.
The state-of-the-art shrimp and fish fin project on a PPP basis mandates the private player to design, build, finance and operate the proposed project on a long-term concession basis and transfer the facility to the government at the end of the period.
The 10-acre land in question will be provided on a right-of-way basis and the existing infrastructure will be transferred to the concessionaire on an “as is where is” basis.
Will invite PM to Benaulim ahead of LS polls to address issues: Fisherman
MARGAO:
If Congress leader Rahul Gandhi landed in the fishing village of Velsao to lend his ears to the fishermen ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls, Benaulim-based traditional fisherman Pele Fernandes has said the fishermen will invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Benaulim before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to address their grievances.
Among a host of issues plaguing the fishermen, Pele said they would raise the issue of earmarking around 5,000 square metres out of the 50,000 square metres of Benaulim hatchery land to the local fishermen.
“The traditional fishermen have been knocking on the doors of successive governments to earmark an area of the defunct hatchery for the community, but in vain. Our plea seemed to have fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
“In the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls, Rahul Gandhi had come to Velsao to lend his ears to the fishermen’s problems. Since our demand for a dedicated parcel of land at the Benaulim prawn hatchery is not granted, we plan to invite the Prime Minister with the hope that the fishermen get dedicated spaces instead of handing over the entire land to the private players,” Pele said.
