With just a fortnight to go for the fishing season to begin, CM reminded of his budgetary commitment
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: With just a fortnight to go for the new fishing season to begin, there’s no move of any kind from the government to open up retail fish outlets to bring fish products within the easy reach of Goans this coming season.
This brings to the fore the question whether Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will honour the promise made in his budget speech to open fish outlets in selective towns.
When this question was posed to Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, he admitted about the CM’s promise to open fish outlets, but hastened to add that he would sit with the latter to discuss ways and means to make available cheap fish at selective outlets. “So far there’s no headway made in this respect. I will sit and discuss with the CM how to go about the matter,” Avertano said.
Director of Fisheries Dr Sharmila Monteiro, when contacted, maintained that though the retail fish outlets were not in place at the moment, the department will work out a scheme to give effect to the CM’s promise. “We are working on a scheme to give effect to the CM’s promise of opening government retail fish outlets. The nitty gritty of the scheme is being worked out by the department at the moment,” Monteiro said.
She, however, could not set any time frame for the introduction of the scheme given that the fishing season will begin in a fortnight from now. “After we come out with a draft, the scheme will be forwarded to the government for approval,” she added.
Incidentally, mechanised boat owners say that they are unaware of the government’s idea of a mechanism to procure fish from fishing vessels at wholesale rates. “So far, we have no idea of the proposed scheme and government selling fish at selective outlets,” remarked a trawler owner.
Last season had proved to be the worst for fish loving Goans, with prices of almost all varieties of fish skyrocketing and beyond the reach of the common man.
