the goan I network
VASCO
Fisheries Minister Vinoda Paliencar on Monday morning inspected the Kharewado fishing jetty and addressed the grievances of fishermen and various fishing bodies in Vasco.
During his inspection, boat owners informed that the jetty was in a dilapidated condition and demanded extension of the fishing jetty till a new fishing jetty by MPT became a reality.
They also informed Paliencar that Vasco police had been picking up a lot of migrant labourers working on board fishing boats and requested him to direct the police to be lenient on workers and to deploy a police officer at Kharewado jetty to assist in tenant verification procedures.
Former minister Jose Philip D’Souza said the main issue plaguing boat owners was that the workers had begun fleeing from Goa out of fear of police harassment.
D’Souza also said the present jetty was capable of handling around 10-20 boats at a time, while there were around 200 fishing boats in Vasco.
“We have been given several assurances of a new fishing jetty, but till date nothing has been done. We have personally called Paliencar and we have shown him the condition of the jetty. We want a final confirmation.”
“We feel that this dilapidated jetty is insufficient for all the boats and several boats have sustained damage by colliding against each other. There are more than 200 boats that take turns to come in to the jetty to offload their stock and sometimes since fish is a perishable item, the waiting period can cause us losses. We need an extension of the jetty at least by 50 mtrs on either side.”
“The police are also harassing our workers for petty reasons. We are willing to give an affidavit that we are responsible for our workers and the government should have a lenient approach,” said
D’Souza.
