SUNDAY, MAY 05, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: Benaulim Beach, one of the famous beaches of Salcete, where hundreds of tourists besides locals can be witnessed rushing to enjoy the day has now turned into a mini-fishing jetty, since the last one week.
Surprisingly, none of the concerned authorities were noticed taking action as a result the locals and tourists facing hardship even to make an entry on the beach.
As informed by the locals, dealing with the fishing business which includes uploading of fish at the entry point of the beach is going on for the last nearly eight days on a large scale. However, the domestic tourists were seen facing hardship even to make an entry and to park their vehicles at the parking lot, which is fully occupied by the fishing vehicles. Even Traffic Police have express helplessness.
Saturday and Sunday are the two days of the week wherein a huge rush of the locals and tourists can be witnessed at the Benaulim Beach. However, on Sunday it was hard to digest that this beach has turned into a mini-fishing jetty with a number of fish loading-trucks parked and wholesalers engaged in dealing with the fishermen community. Uploading of fish, mostly the solar prawns were in full swing. Besides, there were nearly 20 to 25 fishing boats unloading the fish on the beach.
When Herald visited the beach on Sunday, it witnessed a total mess all over the open space marked for parking. Nearly six to eight wholesalers were noticed dealing with the fishermen. Fishing trucks parked all over and fish-water flowing everywhere.
Speaking to Herald Inacio Fernandes, a local fisherman said that this has been going on for the last six to eight days.
"Earlier we used to take the fish at the doorstep of wholesalers but since last few days the agencies have seen coming at the Benaulim Beach to buy the fish at a wholesale rate," he stated.
Peter Rodrigues, a residence of Benaulim expressed anger with regard to the beach turning into a mini-fishing jetty.
"We don't know who has allowed the wholesalers to come here and make this beautiful beach into a fishing jetty. There will be no place for the public and tourist if continued further," he stated.
He even said the tourist will avoid coming to the beach, looking at the mess due to high-scale fish dealing activities.
Herald also noticed that one of the tourists named Sanjay Gupta was struggling to remove his car, which was blocked by the vehicles of wholesalers. He has to wait till the fishing vehicles make way to come out.
“I had come to have lunch in the beachside restaurant in the afternoon hours but now I am unable to move my car, as all the space is blocked by the fishing vehicles," he stated.
Gupta further said that this is not only a public beach but one of the tourist spots, and hence such fishing activities will definitely spoil the name of the beach.
"Fishing activities on a small scale of traditional fishermen can be understood, but this is not acceptable," he further stated.
Now, the question is being asked by the citizens that who permitted this mini-fishing jetty? Did the Benaulim Panchayat has given no objection or has the Fisheries Department notified the Benaulim Beach as the mini-fishing jetty?
