Fish meal plant at Cutbona jetty faces stiff opposition
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, AUG 29
Fisheries department’s ambitious project to set up a fish meal plant at the Cutbona jetty was opposed tooth and nail by villagers of Velim and Ambelim on Sunday, with agitated villagers called for a dharna on September 1 in protest against the project.
While Velim villagers at the Sunday gram Sabha demanded scrapping of the land acquisition notification to acquire land admeasuring 30,000 sq mts, neighbouring Ambelim village offered their full support to the villagers of Velim in their battle against the proposed fish meal.
After much discussion, the Veilm gram Sabha members resolved to hold a day long dharna outside the Panchayat office in protest against the failure by the Fisheries director and the district Collector to meet the villagers and explain the project as scheduled.
The members demanded the presence of the Local MLA and Water resources Minister, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, along with the fisheries director and the collector on the day of the dharna to explain the fish meal project to the villagers.
They charged the fisheries department for pushing the fish meal plant without transparency and demanded scrapping of the land acquisition proceedings.
“We have decided to take out a morcha and hold a dharna on September 1 at 10 am against the fish meal plant proposed at Cutbona”, informed gram Sabha member Melson Luis.
Lambasting the Fisheries Director for ignoring the grievances of the village by refusing to come and hearing the people on the controversial project, Luis said the villagers have vowed to oppose the project as the fish meal plant is not just an environmental problem, but will cause an ecological disaster to the entire area. “The fisheries department had earlier acquired 90,000 square meters at the Cutbona jetty and now they want to acquire additional 30,000 square meters of khazan land for the fish meal plant”, Luis said.
Demanding why the Fisheries Minister Joaquim Alemao is imposing the fish meal plant on the villagers, gram Sabha members suggested to the fisheries Minister to take the project to his home village of Varca or to his Cuncolim constituency.
Sarpanch Reny Caeiro told newsmen after the gram Sabha meeting that the members have unanimously resolved to opposed the fish meal plant at the Cutbona jetty and to hold a dharna on September 1 to to protest against the land acquisition process.
She stated that the villagers on August 15 had resolved to oppose the project tooth and nail on grounds that the fish meal plant at Cutbona jetty will result in environmental and ecological damage to the area, besides posing health hazard to the villagers.
“We had met the Fisheries Minister, Joaquim Alemao and made a strong case to sc
Meanwhile, the gram Sabha meeting of the neighbouring village of Ambelim also discussed the proposed fish meal plant at Cutbona jetty.
After much discussion on the project, the gram sabha members resolved to offer all out support to Velim villagers fighting against the project.
Sarpanch Cruz Silva told newsmen after the meeting that Ambelim Panchayat had asked for information from the Fisheries department on the fish meal project, but lamented that nothing was heard from the department till date.
