Foundation laid for seven-seater Sulabh Souchalaya
After years of neglect and persistent demands from the fishing community, the Kharewado fishing jetty in Vasco will finally get a much-needed public toilet facility.
A foundation stone was laid on Tuesday for the construction of a seven-seater Sulabh Souchalaya complex at the jetty, marking a long-awaited step toward improving hygiene and infrastructure for the hundreds of fishermen and boat operators working in the area.
The foundation stone was laid by Sewerage and Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd (SIDCGL) Chairman and Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar in the presence of Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar, former minister and All Goa Fishing Boat Owners Association (GFBOA) president Jose Philip D’Souza, and several local fishermen and stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Amonkar said the project was a long-standing demand of the fishing community and would now finally take shape as a state-of-the-art facility.
“This is a very important project and has been a long-pending demand from the people working at the jetty,” Amonkar said.
“The facility will be constructed under the Sulabh Souchalaya scheme and will include separate units for men, women, and the differently-abled. The total cost of the project is Rs 1.03 crore, and we plan to provide modern amenities such as hand dryers, wash basins, bathroom facilities, and even a music system.”
Amonkar added that due to the jetty’s low-lying location, precautions are being taken to prevent seawater ingress.
“The area where the toilet is being built is prone to flooding during high tide. Hence, we are raising the plinth level and constructing a retaining wall to ensure the structure remains dry and durable,” he said.
“This facility will greatly benefit boat operators and workers who use this jetty daily.”
Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar said the toilet facility is the need of the hour, and GFBOA President Jose Philip D’Souza had been following up with him continuously.
He added that the new Sulabh Souchalaya would serve nearly 2,000 workers operating at the Kharewado jetty.
“We want to take up more development works at this jetty, but at times we face delays due to lack of cooperation from certain authorities, including the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA). Still, we will continue to push for better amenities for our fishing community,” he said.
GFBOA President Jose Philip D’Souza called the new project a “milestone moment” for Kharewado and thanked both MLAs for ensuring that the fishermen’s long-pending demand was finally fulfilled.
“This project marks the beginning of better days for our fishing community. We can also see that repair works on the jetty have started, which is a positive sign,” said D’Souza.
“We request the authorities to address our subsidy issues and ensure proper road repairs at the jetty. The current patchwork and mixing are not effective, and we need durable road infrastructure to support the heavy movement of boats and vehicles,” D’Souza said.
