MARGAO
A team of the Captain of Ports will inspect the four fishing vessels found anchored at the Cutbona fishing jetty sans any registration number in order to find out whether to tow away the vessels or to lift them away by crane.
Salcete lone Minister Aleixo Sequeira along with Fisheries Minister Nilkhant Harlankar also held discussions with the proprietor of the firm supplying sanitation equipment, Caeitan Fernandes to explore the possibility of installing bio-toilets at the fishing jetty pending construction of the 50-seater Sulabha toilet block.
Carrying forward the ongoing exercise to put things in order post-inspection of the jetty by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the Minister for Captain of Ports, Alexio Sequeira said it was decided on Thursday that a tug of the CoP will tow away the four vessels anchored at the jetty sans registration.
He, however, said fears were raised that the vessels, if not in proper condition, would sink if they were towed away. “Hence, CoP officials will visit Cutbona jetty to inspect the vessels and suggest ways and means of removing them,” he said.
“We are still in the study process of how to go about cleaning up the entire jetty. I guess it requires a little time. We are discussing the situation every day and something new crops up. Today, we had a meeting with the sanitation firm contractor on the matter of installing portable toilets. We have discussed the economics of the toilets,” he said.
Sequeira, however, hastened to add that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has made it amply clear that it is the responsibility of the boat owners to pay the sanitation fees of their workers.
Fisheries Minister Nilkhant said the department could not tow away some of the vessels anchored at the jetty, claiming the owners have gone to court with cases.
