Team Herald
CUNCOLIM: Taking serious note of the five cholera-related deaths at Mobor and Cutbona jetties, the State government has decided to make it mandatory for boat owners to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation per worker if any crew member dies on duty in future.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant made this statement during his visit to the Cutbona jetty on Wednesday, a day after five migrant workers employed at Mobor and Cutbona jetties died due to diarrhoea.
Sawant issued strict orders to the authorities to act tough on illegalities going on at the Cutbona jetty.
He expressed his sympathies to the families of those workers, who lost their lives due to cholera and dengue outbreak.
Sawant during his visit to the jetty, also instructed the South Goa Collector to issue order to all boat owners to pay Rs five lakh compensation to family members of the deceased, adding that the government would pay additional compensation of Rs five lakh to each family of the deceased who lost their lives.
He said that besides this, the State government would make it mandatory for boat owners to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation per worker if a crew member working on their boats dies on duty.
Sawant instructed the officials of the Fisheries Department to clear abandoned scrap boats anchored on newly-constructed jetty.
The Chief Minister also instructed the Collector to demolish all illegal structures constructed on government property. He further issued orders to authorities to clear all the mess at the jetty.
Sawant discussed different issues and problems created on jetty. One of the major problems was non-functional toilets. He told authorities to resolve issues related to toilets and added that the new toilets, which had been left defunct, be made operational as soon as possible, and to install bio-toilets as temporary arrangement.
The Chief Minister also discussed the insurance facilities and added that the boat owners cannot wash their hands and shirk from their responsibility to help the crew employed on the boats.
Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, Velim MLA Cruz Silva, South Goa Collector, Director of Fisheries and officials from Collectorate and Health Department were present.
Sawant told officials of the Fisheries Department to set standard operating procedures (SOPs) at the jetty and instructed the Fisheries, Environment and Collectorate officials to file a detailed report and submit the same to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Meanwhile, the locals have blamed the boat owners for the mess created at the jetty.
The locals informed the media that the Chief Minister visited the jetty to take stock of the cholera outbreak, which they claimed, was caused due to the negligence of boat owners.