the goan I network
MARGAO
What was feared all along has come true. It’s now close to a month that the new fishing season had commenced, bringing thousands of migrant labourers from malaria endemic states of Odisha, Jharkhand and other states at the Cutbona fishing jetty.
While close to 80 per cent of the migrants have reported for work at the Cutbona fishing jetty, approximately around 3000-strong work force, only 104 migrant workers have undergone the mandatory screening test at the jetty till date.
That’s not all. If sanitation officials of the Balli Primary Health Centre, which has jurisdiction over the Cutbona fishing jetty, are to be believed, hardly 30 workers, belonging to three boat owners have obtained health cards from Health services till date.
That the boat owners have cold shouldered the arrangement made by the Health services by deputing a permanent team to the jetty to get the migrant workers screened for malaria and vector borne diseases assumes significance against the backdrop of the two dengue cases reported at the jetty on the eve of the commencement of the new fishing season on August 1.
That the authorities, including the district Collector, South Dr Tariq Thomas and Deputy Collector, Uday Prabhudesai, who were quick to call a joint meeting to broker a truce amongst the warring boat owners earlier this month, have not taken any initiative so far to get the boat owners to obtain health cards for the thousands of migrant workers already descended at the Cutbona fishing jetty.
That the authorities have not accorded priority for the screening of the migrant workers and force the boat owners to obtain the health cards assumes significance given that the Balli Primary Health Centre had dashed of a letter to the Fisheries department with a copy addressed to the Collectorate, Margao.
Sources in the know said while the Deputy Collector, Margao Uday Prabhudesai had reportedly told the health officials to convene a joint meeting with the Fisheries department, Velim panchayat, Boat Owners Union, NGOs and the Health department, the promised meeting has not become a reality till date.
“We are helpless. The Balli Primary Health Centre had deputed health workers at the jetty since July 24 to get the migrant workers screened for vector borne diseases. Sadly, only 104 workers have undergone the screening test till date over the last one month,” lamented a health official.
He pointed out though the Health centre had dashed of a letter to the Fisheries department and the district Collectorate, drawing their attention to the situation at Cutbona, the ground reality has not changed for the better till date.
Two dengue cases involving migrant labourers were reported from the Cutbona fishing jetty last month, prompting the health centre to carry out anti-larvae operations in and around the jetty area since then. “We have carried out spraying operations at the jetty on Tuesday as well as a precautionary measure,” informed a health official.
Cutbona was in the news around three years ago when a local resident fell victim to Dengue as the disease had raised its ugly head in and around the jetty due to a host of factors.
