Team Herald
MARGAO: Residents heaved a sigh of relief as the health department has declared an end to the cholera outbreak at Mobor and Cutbona jetty.
The decision was arrived at as no new cases were reported and was revealed at the review meeting on the jetty that was held at the District Collectorate on Friday. State epidemiologist Dr Utkarsh Betodkar also agreed with the assessment.
In another matter, the representatives of the Cutbona Fishing Federation and the service provider of the toilets being installed at the jetty, managed to resolve their conflict over the payment structure for the toilets. The boat owners will now pay Rs 6.67 lakh on a monthly basis to the service provider, this is until the permanent toilets are set up by the government.
The boat owners also asked the government to install bollards at the jetty, which Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira, agreed to look into.
Sequeira who had reviewed the meeting and was also deputed by the Chief Minister to monitor the progress of renovation and cleanliness work at the jetty, thanked the Cutbona Fishing Federation for their cooperation, which he credited to the turnaround they have successfully managed at the jetty.
He added that he was happy to note that almost all of the demands of the boat owners had been met with.
Sequeira added that the Chief Minister is likely to visit the jetty next week provided he is free of other engagements but that the purpose of the CM’s visit was to see that the work is completed, which should be done soon.
However, it remains to be seen when the stability related issues of the new jetty, which were conveyed by the fishermen to the government, will be addressed. At the recent review meeting, the government had stated a consultant would be engaged to test the stability of the structure and accordingly a decision would be taken how to resolve that issue.