PORVORIM
Although the fishing ban ended on July 31, the trawlers at Malim Jetty could not sail for fishing as the crew of the vessels did not return from their native places.
While speaking to this correspondent, the vice-chairperson of the Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Society Ltd, Harshad M Dhond stated that around 250 trawlers are operating at the Malim Jetty and the majority of the workers working on these trawlers are from States such as Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, etc. Indian Metrological Department has warned the fishermen not to venture into the sea till August 5 as the sea is rough. Presently only 5% of the workers at the jetty have returned and the remaining crew are expected to reach Goa by August 20, Dhond said.
Dhond further mentioned that the fishing industry is presently reeling under grave financial problems. The State government has withdrawn the Goa Value Added Tax-based subsidy on HSD oil used by fishing vessels vide notification dated May 23, 2023 with retrospective effect from November 30, 2022. The subsidy was offered when the late Manohar Parrikar was the chief minister, he said. Furthermore, the State government has not reimbursed the VAT for the years 1920-21 and 1921-22.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar have assured in the ongoing assembly session that the govt will reimburse the pending VAT as early as possible and will also restart the subsidy on diesel. The industry is fighting for basic survival on all fronts and hence the government should lend them a helping hand in the current situation, said Dhond.
He further mentioned that the infrastructure at Malim Jetty is not good. The renovation of the existing jetty has been going on for the last 12 years and only 30% of the work has been completed so far. Alarmingly, 10 contractors have left the work midway. Due to the poor infrastructure, the trawler owners find it difficult to anchor the trawlers, said Dhond.
Dhond said that the Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Society Ltd is not getting water supply from the Public Works Department. They have requested PWD several times to release water for them but in vain. They require 40 to 50 tankers of water every day which they buy from private water suppliers.
Further, there is no proper illumination at Malim Jetty and hence they had requested the Fisheries Department to install a high mast at the jetty. The department in turn wrote to the Goa Tourism Development Corporation on February 28, 2024, to install the facility but so far no action has been taken.
Another issue is the size of the auction shed, which is only 50 square metres in area. It becomes very difficult to conduct the auction of the fish in the shed. Dhond said the size of the auction shed needs to be increased to 200 square metres.
About the use of generators on fishing vessels, Dhond mentioned that generators are a must for the safety of crew members and fishing vessels. When a lot of water enters the vessels, the generator becomes vital to flush out the water.
"Last year’s fishing season was okay. Some of the trawler owners did not operate the trawlers due to financial problems. Hence, the State government should look into the problems of the trawler owners with seriousness to keep this business viable for the operators," said Dhond.
