Team Herald
MARGAO: A day after O Heraldo highlighted the sorry state of affairs at Cutbona fishing jetty, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the spot on Monday to inaugurate the newly revitalised 226-metre portion of the jetty and said that he was pleased with the transformation.
The O Heraldo report, however, had revealed how open defecation in the area was still a problem, and farmers were facing difficulties cultivating their fields due to the stench. A cholera outbreak had claimed four lives and revealed the dire conditions at the jetty back in September.
Sawant, who had visited the jetty during the medical crisis, said on Monday, “When I visited during the cholera outbreak, the state of the jetty was alarming. Today, I am pleased to see the transformation,” he remarked, while also promising dedicated berthing facilities at the jetty. Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar and Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira were also present and highlighted the infrastructural upgrades for the fishing industry.
The jetty was cluttered with scrap and unused vessels back in September, but all of it had been cleared by Monday. “Work on the jetty was completed over three years ago, but the jetty was misused in a big way. People have the habit of misusing public infrastructure,” Sawant noted.
The CM also announced that going forward, all crew employed on fishing boats will be required to possess health cards and undergo police verification before venturing out to sea. Furthermore, he mandated that all new fishing boats must be equipped with crucial sanitation amenities, including onboard toilets.
“We have to make health cards before venturing out into the sea in order to get the insurance. The workers need to be medically fit. They should undergo police
verification. All the new fishing boats should have compulsory toilets onboard the vessel,” Sawant stressed.