PANJIM: Atul Jadhav the President of the Goa Barges Owners Association has expressed the hope that the loans are taken over by an intermediary like the EDC at the earliest. He said the government was working on a scheme which was important considering that over Rs. 300 crores was out in the barge industry as loans.
Once the scheme was formulated he said they would know the exact amount that needed to be paid. With regards to waiving of the interest he said “All banks have agreed to waive off the interest and are waiting for a request from the government in writing. They have said they would consider it positively once they received a letter from the government”.
A source who was aware of the developments on this front revealed that a letter had been sent to the co-operative banks today and hoped that it would result in the result that was desired by the barge owners association and others.
Asked about the condition of the barges, Atul said that it would take a while for barges to be seaworthy again. Asked specifically how many barges were present he said that around 70 barges were out of the state and another 33 barges were sold most of it being distress sales.
He said “Many of the owners have received the money and transferred to the bank and cleared their liability.” With regards to the kind of load they would be expected to carry in the future he smiled and said “With approximately 14 million tonnes of pre-mined cargo to be hauled how much do you think each of the barge owners will be able to carry on their barges. I suppose first let the E-auction take place then we will be able to see where we all stand”.
