Malim fishermen demand extension of jetty, auction shed
Also say there is no water supply and adequate power
THE GOAN NETWORK
SALIGAO
The Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Society Ltd (MFMSL) at Malim has demanded the extension of the Malim jetty and the auction shed, to enable them to have more space to carry out fishing activities.
Speaking to The Goan, MFMSL president Menino Afonso stated that 325 trawlers presently operate from the Malim jetty.
“The length of the existing Malim jetty is only 120 metres, which cannot accommodate all the mechanized fishing vessels. It becomes very difficult for trawler owners to load ice in their vessels, if they are not anchored alongside the jetty. Hence, there is an urgent need to extend the Malim jetty up to 300 metres,” explained Afonso.
“Further, the size of the auction shed is only 50 sq mtrs and it is very inadequate to conduct auction of the fish. The size of the auction shed needs to be increased to 200 sq mtrs,” said Afonso.
“These demands were put forth before Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, during his visit to Malim jetty a few months ago. But no steps have taken by the Directorate of Fisheries so far,” added Afonso.
Afonso also highlighted the difficulties regarding water and power supply faced at the Malim jetty.
“The PWD does not release water to the Malim jetty, even though a water connection has been provided. We are forced to bring 30 water tankers everyday, at a cost of Rs 600 per tanker.”
“We had taken up the issue with the PWD, but we were informed that since the requirement of Malim jetty is huge, it is not possible to release the required water as it would affect water supply to nearby residential areas,” he added.
Afonso also mentioned that their demand for the installation of a 300 KVA transformer had been turned down by the Electricity department.
