Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Chairman (GSIDC) Chairman, MLA Michael Lobo, however, remained silent on the long-pending construction of the cold storage facility meant for Goan traditional fishermen. Neither PWD Minister Digambar Kamat nor SGPDA Chairman and MLA Krishna Salkar referred to the delayed cold storage project during the inspection.
More than a year after the GSIDC handed over the redeveloped Margao Wholesale Fish Market to the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) after completing the works in all respects, GSIDC Chairman and MLA Michael Lobo on Thursday inspected the facility and promised to complete the additional works. But, he made no mention on the critical question – when GSIDC will take up Phase-II of the project, including cold storage facility for the local fishermen?
The Central government had sanctioned funds worth several crores of rupees to the Fisheries Department for the redevelopment of the Margao Wholesale Fish Market, with the cold storage facility forming one of the project’s principal components.
The storage unit was envisaged to help traditional fishermen secure better prices for their catch by providing adequate storage facilities and reducing their dependence on fish traders. In the absence of cold storage, fishermen are often compelled to sell large catches at throwaway prices to avoid spoilage.
Earlier, The Goan had reported that the tender for the wholesale fish market redevelopment had been foreclosed after the SGPDA failed to hand over the required land for construction of the cold storage facility. Although the funds earmarked for the storage unit and other works continue to remain with the Fisheries Department, sources said construction can begin only after the SGPDA transfers the land to the department.
