Without a cold storage facility in Canacona the fishingcommunity has to now get ice from Majali in Karnataka or Pajorconi (nearCuncolim), both twenty odd kilometers away or Margao which is even further.
Around three thousand fishermen in Canacona demandedto restart the abandoned ice factory at Palolem for the benefit of thelocal fishermen before the commencement of forthcoming tourism season.
“The ice plant has been lying closed for the last severalyears. A portion of it is on the verge of collapse. Without a properpreservation facility life of local fishermen becomes difficult,” said RajeshriPagi, local leader of fishing community and Vice-Chairperson of CanaconaMunicipal Council.
The ice factory has a capacity to produce 80 ice blocks at atime, each weighing 25 kilograms. This ice plant was a huge boon to thelocal fishermen, who could use the storage facility to preserve fish before supplyingit to the markets.
The ice plant, run by the fisheries department has beenlying abandoned for the last many year. The entire building is surrounded byshrubs and trees, making it a happy ground for anti-social activities, saidDivakar Pagi former Chairperson of Canacona Municipality.
At a recent meeting the Canacona Municipal Council (CMC) hadresolved to take over the ice factory and restart it. But this hasn’t beenactioned, according to Ratnakar Dhuri, another local Pagi community leader
Now a request has been made to local Canacona MLA and SportsMinister Ramesh Tawdkar to revive the ice factory or make other alternatearrangement for storage of fish before the commencement of forthcoming tourismseason.
Hopefully with fisher folk raising the heat, the ice factorywill finally be opened.
