Team Herald
MARGAO: The fishing community of Benaulim, represented by Niz Ramponkarancho Ekvott (NRE), and the Cana-Benaulim Village Panchayat, joined forces with local residents to voice their concerns before the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday.
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The group of fishermen submitted a memorandum with the charter of demands with renewed calls that the Fisheries Department allot land to them to carry on their traditional fishing activities and also opposed the proposed leasing of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) land for private development.
NRE President Saby Fernandes, alongside fishermen leaders like Pele Fernandes, presented the community’s plea for utilizing portions of Fisheries Department land located at Survey Nos. 362 and 357 in Benaulim for their livelihood. In a memorandum addressed to the Fisheries Director and Minister, NRE highlighted the traditional fishing community’s long-standing demand for foreshore facilities. These include a net-mending shed, ice plant, fish storage unit, parking for fishing canoes, and repair sheds for fishing boats, all of which are vital for sustaining the livelihood of the local fishermen. The letter emphasized that the land in question has remained underutilized, despite repeated proposals submitted since 2020, urging immediate intervention to allocate the land for community use.
Simultaneously, Benaulim Sarpanch Xavier Pereira presented the panchayat’s objections to GTDC’s plans for leasing prime beachside properties at Survey Nos 365/2A and 365/2B to a private entity for developing a hotel and a parking lot.
The panchayat’s letter to the CM, Tourism Minister and GTDC Managing Director detailed objections to leasing public property, arguing that the land was originally acquired at nominal rates for tourism infrastructure development.
