Team Herald
MARGAO: At a meeting held on Friday at the South Goa District Collectorate, to review the progress made so far regarding corrective measures to improve the conditions at Cutbona jetty, the stakeholders felt that there has been a turnaround and the situation has improved drastically compared to the time of the cholera outbreak.
Incidentally, at the meeting chaired by Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, the boat owners were praised for responding swiftly and proactively to the measures that were suggested at prior review meetings.
Responding to queries from media persons, Sequeira pointed out that the lack of streetlights and other illumination at the jetty had been resolved on Thursday itself.
Regarding water supply, the Minister said that the PWD Water Supply Division has agreed to do the needful once the Cutbona Boat Owners Federation submits their application for a new connection on Monday.
Sequeira also referred to his last visit to the jetty and said that since that time, the majority of the abandoned vessels and dinghies have been removed with just a couple left, which is far lesser than the volume of such vessels and dinghies that were left at the jetty earlier.
Regarding the concerns expressed by boat owners about the structural stability of the new jetty in view of the fact there is a fear that the new jetty won’t support loading-related operations of the trawlers, Sequeira said that the government will rope in a consultant to carry out a study soon, and can’t comment on it further. Earlier, there were questions about who would do this, either the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), which constructed the new jetty, or the PWD.