Team Herald
MARGAO: National Fishworkers’ Forum has hit out at the State and Central Governments especially Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari over the overexploitation of the Indian Ocean and rivers.
Forum’s secretary Olencio Simoes, who is also the Joint Gen Secretary of Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) said Goa’s popular beaches have turned black recently due to suspected oil spillage by “unregulated” merchant ships, oil tankers etc. Beaches such as Calangute, Sinquerim and Candolim, Colva, Betalbatim and Sernabatim have been covered with tar balls.
“In addition to the oil spillage, garbage too has been washed ashore during the monsoon and the beach cleaning contractors have failed to collect the waste along the coast. We demand that the beach cleaning contract be terminated and urge the government to look into our grievances and act immediately, he added.
Raising concerns on the oil spillage, Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott said, “Gadkari should take this issue seriously as it is the ports responsibility and the Coast Guard should be vigilant on the oil spillage issue as it is destroying the marine life especially during the fishing ban period.
Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott president Agnelo Rodrigues said “It looks like Gadkari is only interested in further damaging our ecology by planning to build more ports and dredge rivers.”
Since 1970, neither State government nor the Centre has taken the issue seriously, Agnelo said and called upon the Centre to immediately work towards setting up an enforcement agency and bring in legislation to curb oil spillages in the ocean which have depleted the marine resources across India”.
