Trawler owners reject offer
TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM/NEW DELHI: The fish trawling community, whose leaders are in Delhi and met with the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday, were not in favour of taking up Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s offer made in the Assembly of buying diesel at retail pumps and taking the subsidy, preferring a long term and permanent solution to their fuel issue instead of opting for what they termed a “short term, stop-gap solution”.
The community is on a strike with trawlers anchored at their jetties with fish markets closed Tuesday halting the supply of fish to the State barring some local vendors on a village level. The chief of All Goa Fishermen’s Federation John Mendes, speaking to the media after a meeting with Pawar said that he had promised to help them. The federation, that includes societies from Malim, Cutbona, Chapora, Vasco and two from Betul and some 1000 plus trawlers, would be asking for fishing as a separate sector and diesel to be sold to them on slab basis in their scheduled meeting with Union Petroleum Minister, V Moily that is scheduled between 11 and 12 tomorrow.
The State government in the Assembly sent out a conciliatory message to the fish trawling community on Tuesday that it would provide subsidy on purchase of diesel and to procure it from private fuel pumps until the issue was resolved. The issue was raised during Zero Hour in the House on Tuesday by Velim MLA Benjamin Silva referring to the strike call given by the local fishermen community. Replying to this, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that he was already in dialogue with the Central officials and oil companies, while arguing that the price hike on bulk fuel by the Central government which affects various sectors, particularly the fishing community in Goa appears deliberate. He said that the Police department and PWD have already been asked to procure diesel from private pumps. “The KTC has already shifted to private pumps and the fishing community should buy in retail from private fuel pumps,” he said.
“We will ask for fishing as a separate sector,” Mendis said, expressing his optimism about outcome of the meeting even as he said that he wanted a solution from the Centre. “Centre is the final decision. Taking diesel from retail pumps is difficult to implement,” he said, while rejecting the offer and deciding to continue with market closure.
