MARGAO
Has the sanitation issue which is plaguing the Cutbona fishing jetty been resolved with the new toilet block at the Fisheries Complex?
Not at all, as the new toilet block set up before the commencement of the new fishing season on August 1 last is still under lock and key. Resultantly, the migrant crew of the fishing vessels are left with the lone option of availing sanitation facilities at the Sulabh toilet or answering nature’s call in the adjoining fields.
It would be almost two months and a fortnight since the new fishing season commenced on August 1, but the new toilet block is still not thrown open.
Hundreds of migrants are employed on the fishing vessels operating from the Cutbona jetty and have been facing sanitation issues over the years.
The 50-seater toilet block, proposed by the Fisheries department, around a decade ago, remained a pipe dream at the jetty.
When The Goan contacted the Fisheries Director Dr Shamila Monteiro to shed light on the status of the new toilet block, which has not been thrown open, she merely said the toilet block will be opened for the users at the earliest.
Residents of Cutbona had been demanding provision for adequate sanitation facilities at the Cutbona fishing jetty amid the migrant crew answering nature’s call in the adjoining fields and water bodies.
Presently, the fishing jetty has a lone Sulabh pay toilet at the fisheries complex, which is unable to cater to the growing requirements of the migrant crew, as a result of which it is not uncommon to find migrant workers taking to the fields to answer nature’s call.
