Says report will be submitted to Mumbai headquarters
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Exactly two weeks after the tragic mid-sea mishap left five fishermen dead and one missing, investigations into the incident by Coast Guard, Yellow Gate Police and the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) continues till date.
There’s no concrete statement coming out from the three agencies as to when investigations will be finally capped, with the Coast Guard only saying that the ongoing inquiry is almost complete and the report would be submitted to the headquarters at Mumbai.
Coast Guard DIG Bhanot told Herald that the Coast Guard inquiry is nearing completion and a report will be submitted to the headquarters soon. He said the Yellow Gate Police, Mumbai have obtained details from the Coast Guard on various aspects of the incident.
On the distribution of compensation to the kith and kin of the deceased, DIG Bhanot said the Coast Guard is in touch with the Fisheries Department.
A Yellow Gate Police official told Herald over the phone that investigations into the incident sill continue. He said the Yellow Gate Police have sought assistance of the Coast Guard to trace the submerged fishing vessels with the help of divers as part of the investigations.
While declining to throw any light on what has emerged in the case during investigations, the police officials said that investigations will be finally complete once the chargesheet is filed in court.
Trawler owner Martin Fernandes was on Thursday holed up at the Mercantile Marine Department, Vasco with five crew members as they were called for recording of their statements by the MMD officials.
Martin told Herald that the relatives of the four deceased crew members have left the State with the ashes. “The Fisheries Department has told us to follow the procedure, including opening of bank accounts, for disbursing the compensation to the bereaved families”, he said.
Associations of boat owners from Goa have demanded compensation for the owner of the ill-fated fishing trawler, besides crew members who were left dead or missing.
