MARGAO
World Fisheries Day is just two days away on November 21, but fishermen and boat owners operating at the Cutbona fishing jetty has nothing to cheer about.
Cutbona jetty, located in Fisheries Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues’ home constituency Velim, is the home for around 300 fishing vessels, but boat owners publicly say all isn’t well at the fishing jetty or around the fisheries complex.
Otherwise, consider this. The new fishing jetty at Cutbona was put in place over two years ago, but it has become the home for scrap vessels or vessels which have sunk in the river Sal. Pleas by the Fisheries societies to the Fisheries Director to tow away the idle vessels has fallen on deaf ears.
That’s not all. The entire fisheries complex has become an eyesore, with boat owners as well as the local residents that the complex may help spread dengue in the locality once again if timely measures do not come from the Fisheries department.
Locals pointed out that non-maintenance of the sulabh toilet poses a health hazard to the residents as the overflowing sewage waters are finding its way in the traditional ogors (water bodies).
Chairman of Cutbona Fisheries Society, Vinay Tari said that boat owners had time and again pleaded with the Fisheries Director to get the scrapped fishing vessels anchored at the new Cutbona jetty removed, but in vain. “Fishing boats returning to the jetty with catch cannot use the new jetty with the space blocked by the scrap vessels,” Tari added.
Velim Sarpanch, Savio D’Silva, a boat owner, said the Fisheries Director has only promised to issue show cause notices to get the jetty cleared of the scrap vessels, but the notices have not helped to change the ground reality. At least on World Fisheries Day, the Director make space at the jetty by getting rid of the scrapped vessels,” Savio said.
He pointed out that the Velim panchayat had issued NOC for the 50-seater toilets way back in 2013, but the sanitation issues still remains unresolved.
Boat owner and local Velim panchayat member Veena Cardozo, said the department should immediately clear the fisheries complex at Cutbona of the eyesore.
“Local residents had to face the brunt of dengue a couple of years ago. This should not happen again. The overflowing septic tank of sulabh toilet, in the traditional water ponds, should stop immediately. The Fisheries department should maintain hygiene at the jetty,” Veena demanded.
GOACAN convenor Roland Martins also stressed on the need to spruce up hygiene and sanitation at the Cutbona fisheries complex. “The lone Sulabh toilet is craving for maintenance. The situation around the jetty calls for urgent attention,” he added.
