MARGAO
Tucked away in a corner on the ground floor of the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative complex, the Seafarers Cell attached to the department of NRI Affairs was launched by then Defence Minister and Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar on December 18 ahead of the 2017 Assembly election.
Exactly seven months later, the seafarers cell is craving for attention for want of both officers and staff and the office affairs are being manned by a couple of employees engaged by the Goa Seaman Association of India (GSAI). When The Goan team visited the Seafarers Cell at 5 pm on Wednesday, the shutters were down and it was only later realized that the office is closed for the day everyday at 4 pm.
Inquiries have further revealed that the Seafarers Cell is manned by a couple of staffers engaged by the GSAI and that promised nodal officer and bare minimum staff is yet to become a reality till date.
Says GSAI spokesman Dixon Vaz: The Seafarers Cell is lying defunct for reasons best known to the government. We had pressed the previous government to open the Seafarers Cell to meet the growing requirements of the Goan seafarers community, but in vain". Dixon said the staff manning the cell is being engaged by the GSAI out of its own funds and neither is the nodal officer appointed till date. "There was a talk that the Cell will be manned by the taluka Mamlatdar. We do not know whether a Mamlatdar will be able to do justice for the seafarers," he said.
Salcete Mamlatdar, Vishal Kundaikar, however, feigned ignorance of any order authorizing him to function as the nodal officer of the Seafarers Cell. "I have no idea whatsoever about the Cell", he added.
When The Goan contacted newly-appointed NRI Commissioner Milind Naik to shed light on the Seafarers cell, he was frank in admitting that he has not much knowledge of the Cell since he was appointed to the post only recently. "I will find out from my office the status of the Cell", he said.
Senior officer attached to the office of NRI Commissioner, U D Kamat confirmed that the govt could not appoint the nodal officer to head the Seafarers Cell in view of the intervening code of conduct before and after the Assembly election. "Milind Naik has been appointed the NRI Commissioner now and all issues concerning the cell will be addressed after the Panjim election when the code of conduct is lifted," Kamat said.
