Team Herald
ANJUNA: Chapora boat owners on Tuesday raised concerns about formation of sandbars in the river and have demanded a retaining wall on mouth of Chapora river.
Chapora boat owners have demanded the fisheries department should construct the wall at mouth of the Chapora river to solve the issue of sand bars. Boat owners said that the sand bars are causing major inconvenience as they are unable to move their boats into the sea for fishing.
President of Chapora Boat Owners Association, Bhalbhim Malvankar said, “The fineries department is planning to develop the jetty under GSIDC. We don't oppose the development of jetty, but want to question the use of this jetty, if the fishermen are unable to move out their boats into sea because of the sand bars.”
Malvankar said that the locals don’t want dredging because earlier too dredging was done at a cost of Rs 21 crore. But it was a waste as after some time the sand bars were back. The only solution is a retaining wall,” Malvankar said.
Malvankar said that department cannot go ahead with the wall as it is going to affect the movement of olive turtle. But government should consider about the people, whose survival depend on this river. It’s more important than the turtles.
Boat owners further pointed that the boats cannot go out as the boats get stuck at sand bars.
“Several accidents occur while taking out the boats as well as when the boats get stuck at the sand bars, which damages the boats as a result we have to take up emergency repair work,” boat owners added.
There are more than 100 boats, but most of them have been scrapped because the boats cannot go out.
“We request the fisheries department to get the issue of sandbars solved and then take up the work of development of the Jetty otherwise development of the jetty is of no use,” boat owners said.