MONDAY, MAY 06, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: The National Fishworkers Forum on Saturday resolved to oppose the Sagarmala Project across the country and the proposal of setting up fish farms along the coastline beginning with Goa.
Olencio Simoes was elected as the general secretary of the Forum following the two-day annual convention held in Margao. Incidentally, the Forum was started by Olencio’s uncle late Matanhy Saldanha, 40 years ago in Goa.
Briefing the media persons, NFF Chairperson Narendra Patil said that the government is coming up with new laws without consulting the Forum.
He pointed out that some of the laws are totally against the Forum’s interest and vowed to continue fighting such laws.
He said, “The government is asking the fishing community to install new equipment ostensibly for the safety of the fishing community. But the equipment recommended is very expensive and beyond the purchasing capacity of the ordinary fisher men.”
“The Automatic Identity System and DASH recommended by the Coast Guard is too expensive for most of the fishermen and hence the government should come up with some relief for the fishing community,” he said.
He also demanded that the fishermen should be exempted from paying the Excise Duty on diesel purchased for their vessels and pointed out that earlier when Atal Behari Vajpayee was the prime minister fishing community was charged only Rs 1.5 as Excise Duty on diesel while now it is nearly Rs 35 per litre.
Narendra also pointed out that the survey of the oil exploration being carried out in the sea is hampering the fishing activity of the fishermen as they have to maintain a distance of 8 kms radius from where the survey is being conducted.
Olencio said, “The Forum has decided to oppose the Sagarmala Project across the country. The Forum will launch their movement shortly as this project is aimed at annihilating the traditional fishermen and replace them with fish farmers who will be big industrial houses.”
He said that the Forum is also opposed to the proposal of breeding fish in cages along 200 kms of the Goan coast line.
While pointing out that nobody has demanded such farming, Olencio asked the government to instead implement the ban on LED lights being used for fishing.
“Even though LED lights are banned since 2017 one can still see them out in the sea and the Fisheries Department is doing nothing about it,” he said and also questioned the Union Minister’s claim of investing Rs 400 crore on Goan marine culture.
Olencio said, “The fishing community is totally opposed to the three linear projects in Goa as they are aimed against them.”
Further, he demanded that the public hearing on Coastal Zone Management Plan should be postponed as one day hearing is not sufficient.
“The fishing community and some villages have already submitted the Coastal Zone Management Plans and the government will try to adopt these plans instead of going on with the farce of a public hearing to prepare fresh plans,” he said.
