MARGAO
A new fishing season began on August 1, but Goa’s biggest fishing hub “ the Cutbona fishing jetty, is still craving government attention.
Home to over 150-odd fishing vessels, including small and deep sea fishing vessels, the fishing jetty is plagued by a host of issues, including infrastructure and sanitation. In fact, the boat owners under the banner of the Cutbona Boat Owners Federation (CBOF) have knocked on the doors of the government to allow the body to regulate, supervise and monitor the functioning of the operation of fishing vessels and allied activities under the supervision of the Fisheries Department.
The fact that most of the boat owners operating from Cutbona have come under the banner of the CBOF is an indication the operators are unhappy with the state of affairs at the jetty. Federation member Patrick D’Silva pointed out that the boat owners are facing a host of issues at Cutbona due to apathy and neglect by the government.
"The federation has asked the Fisheries Department to install CCTV cameras, street lights, bollards, and water pipeline for cleanliness and maintenance of the jetty. Besides, the boat owners face several long-term issues,” he said.
A major issue for the boat owners operating from Cutbona jetty is the hostile navigation issues at the mouth of River Sal. Fishermen, including the mechanised boat owners, have been demanding a breakwater facility at the mouth of the river at Betul for a smooth navigation channel, but in vain.
Questions are being raised over the government's inordinate delay in constructing the breakwater facility as it’s now three years since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had given its nod for the construction of a training wall at the mouth of River Sal on a condition that the Fisheries Department obtains environment clearance for the project.
Says chairman of Cutbona Fisheries Society, Vinay Chari: “Small boat owners are left at the mercy of the hostile navigation issues at the mouth of River Sal. We have to plan our fishing depending on the tides. There are occasions when the fishing vessels cannot venture out for fishing and neither can the vessels enter River Sal from the sea with the fish catch.”
Former Cutbona Boat Owners Union president Savio D’Silva blamed the government’s apathy for the present state of affairs at the jetty. “Boat owners have been demanding that the new 222-metre extended portion of the jetty to effective use by removing the scrap vessels and using the space for berthing of vessels, but in vain,” he added.
Another major issue plaguing the Cutbona jetty is sanitation. As Cutbona is home to thousands of migrant workers employed on fishing vessels, the fisheries complex needs adequate sanitation amenities for the crew. However, a Sulabh toilet block has been the only sanitation facility there over the years, with the Fisheries Department only recently installing a couple of bio-toilets. The fate of the 50-seater toilet block, proposed around a decade ago, remains unknown, with questions raised about whether the much-discussed River Sal rejuvenation plan can take off without fixing the sanitation issue at the jetty.
Former Cutbona Boat Owners Union president Cypriano Cardozo said the gate installed by the Fisheries Department during the COVID-19 pandemic is not dismantled yet. “Cutbona is a bund, which has evolved as a fishing jetty over the years. By installing the gate, the Fisheries Department has blocked people from Cutbona and Betul from using the bund to make it to the other side. Velim Panchayat had written to the Fisheries Department to dismantle the gate last year, but no action has been taken,” Cypriano said.
