TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The Goan Seamen Association of India has urged the Indian government to consider issuing Indian CDCs to seamen at the earliest and end hardships faced by Indian seafarers.
GSAG has submitted a memorandum to Director General of Shipping (DG) and union minister of shipping through NRI commissioner Dr Wilfred Misquita. “The Shipping ministry have replied that a positive decision will be taken soon and will inform the Goa government on our demand”, informed GSAI President Dixon Vaz.
He said there are thousand of Goans working on cruise liners, who do not posses the Indian CDC which has lately have become a issue for the seafarers at the time of joining and transit in various countries specially in many countries in South America. “Indians are denied to enter the country due to non-recognition as a seamen as the national CDC is required to prove that you are a seamen and the passport is not the valid maritime document claiming as a seamen where as all the other nationalities have their country CDC which have been provided by their respective government”, Vaz said.
He said there are instances where the companies have not rehired a Seamen because the ship cannot sail with the seafarer without the CDC of the home country. “This is a very serious matter for the Goan families who are solely dependent on the seafarerr to meet their daily needs. In many cases, the seafarer is the only earner in the family and unemployment can bring serious financial burden on them”, he added.
Expressing his disappointment with both the MPs, Vaz said the MPs have failed to take up the CDC issue with the Union government and reminded them that this serious issue can cause huge unemployment problem if there is no timely action by the government.
