VASCO
National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) and Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) organised the Macchimar Sangarsh Yatra on Thursday, to create awareness among members of the fishing community across Goa on various fishermen rights and to demand the immediate passing of the Coastal Rights Bill to safeguard the interests of the fishermen.
GRE General Secretary Olencio Simoes said Goa was the fourth state to hold the Macchimar Sangarsh Yatra after Kerala, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
"Our colleagues from NFF have arrived and participated and we will meet the entire fishing community of Goa and take their issues. We will also create awareness on the various central government projects and how they could destroy the livelihoods of fishermen.”
“We will also explain the various rights of the fishermen and we will also raise our voice against the massive infrastructure planned by the Government on our coastline which will destroy our shores and seas while rendering fishermen out of business," said Simoes.
"We demand the State and the central government to immediately pass the Coastal Rights Bill because Jairam Ramesh as the MOEF minister of the previous government had already prepared a draft of this bill. This Coastal Right Bill will give us rights to the land, shore and sea to us and this has been our customary right for generations," said Simoes.
NFF Chairperson Leo Colaco said the fishing community is present in nine coastal states and three union territories.
"These fishermen face a lot of issues and we have tried everything from requests to memorandum to resolve their issue but the government has come out with anti-fishermen laws.”
“We want to create an awareness among the fishing community in every State on around 25 main issues faced by the community so that we can unitedly take our issues before the Government. This yatra is only the first step to show the Government that the fishermen community is waking up," said Colaco.
NFF Vice Chairperson Ramkrishna Tandel said the main issues to be discussed during the Yatra would be opposition to new CRZ rules, marine fishing bill and demand for coastal rights bill.
