Ramponkars slams move to grant autonomy to 12 ports
GRE elect new panel; MLA Alina replaced with Olencio Simoes
THE GOAN NETWORK
CORTALIM
Agnelo Rodrigues was re-elected as president of Goenchea Ramponkaranchea Ekvott (GRE) at the general body meeting convened at Cortalim on Tuesday.
Other elected members are Vasant Gopi Naik (vice-president), Olencio Simoes (general secretary), Mercy D' Mello (secretary), Caji D’Mello (treasurer), Vicent Rodrigues (vice-treasurer), Ronny Fernandes (vice-president - Calangute), Damaso Mendes (vice-president - Nerul), Sudakar Joshi (vice-president - Betul), Domingos Rodrigues (vice-president “ Colva) and Menino Souza (vice-president “ Caranzalem).
General secretary Olencio Simoes who replaced Cortalim MLA Alina Saldanha slammed the Central Government and the Ministry of Shipping for attempting to provide autonomy to 12 major ports of India which also includes Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
“The Central Port Authorities Act 2016 will replace the existing Major Port Trust Act, 1963 and will empower port authorities to blatantly lease out land to big corporates” said Simoes.
“Autonomy will give full power to the Board of Port Authorities to enter into contracts, plan and develop the Port, fix tariffs, etc, as it wishes. This is very similar to Special Economic Zones (SEZs), wherein the government and the people of the land will have no say whatsoever with what MPT does,” said Simoes, who is also the vice-chairperson of National Fishworkers Forum (NFF).
“If the 2016 Act comes into play, the coastline from Betul to Dona Paula will belong to MPT in toto, which means persons like the fishermen whose livelihood depends on the coast will have to forgo their activities, thereby forcing the fishermen to give up their occupation,” added Simoes.
Agnelo Rodrigues said, “The BJP government in the State and Center is all out to destroy the fishermen of Goa and India. BJP is not only out to provide autonomy to these super rich ports taken over by these corporates, but is also out to sell the inland rivers to these agents of ecological and environmental destruction.”
“We demand the government to immediately roll back the provision of providing autonomy to these ports and nationalization of rivers in the State, or else the State should be ready to face the wrath of the common man,” warned Rodrigues.
