Tennis Legend Leader Paes, who is now a team player of TMC, was on his home court in his native Assolna and parts of Velim Constituency, on Thursday. He had a marathon visit to Freedom Fighter Julio Menezes’ house, Colleawado dockyard, Banda chapel where he met Parish Priest Fr. Jovino Pereira and Velim sports club, as part of an outreach programme.
After interacting with fishermen, Paes highlighted the issue of bull trawling which had led to destruction of the fish catch by 85%. He noted that boats coming from other states were depleting the catch in Goan water. Paes called for professional handholding for fishermen and government subsidies not only for buying equipment, but also subsidies for maintenance.
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One of the biggest drawback for fishermen has been, the failure to patrol the waters, by Fisheries Dept and Coastal Police. Paes called for patrolling of Goan waters on a daily basis, whether by using boats or helicopters.
The tennis legend Paes, now wearing a TMC shirt, met the young and old, listening attentively, holding a child in his arms and exuding the true Goan warmth. He even found time to autograph caps for youngsters who were thrilled to meet the Olympic medal winner and multiple grandslam winner. Paes interacted with people in their homes or by the wayside and understood the problems faced by common people.
