Team Herald
PANJIM: In what could be termed sheer waste of public money, the Fisheries Department has invested around Rs five crore to earn just two per cent of that amount.
Fisheries Department spent Rs 5.5 cr in organising the Aqua Fish Festival for the last four years since 2013-14 (except 2016-17) and earned just Rs 10 lakh from it.
Information available with Herald reveals that the first Aqua Fish Festival was organised in Fatorda at SGPDA market in 2013-14 and the expenditure was Rs 63,80,500 and the Department earned Rs 3.5 lakh, which has been the highest so far. Next year the expenditure budget was increased to Rs 1,51,68,600 and the earnings through stalls etc amounted to just Rs 2,25,000.
In 2015-16, the department again spent Rs 1,37,14,808 for an earning of Rs Rs 3,27,000. The next year in 2016-17, the festival wasn’t organised. But the following year, in 2017-18, the festival was shifted to Panjim by Fisheries Minister Vinod Palyekar and the amount spent was Rs 1,98,72,999, and the earnings were Rs 1,36,000, not even one per cent of the expenditure.
Fisheries Director Vinesh Arlenkar was unable to answer Herald’s queries saying he had just taken charge of the Department. “I will not be able to comment since I have just taken charge and will need to study the issue,” he told Herald.
Herald’s efforts to contact Palyekar on the wasteful expenditure turned futile as the minister did not answer calls.
Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) general secretary Olencio Simoes was, however, critical of the expenditure. “Government instead of wasting so much money for Aqua Goa mega fish festival, should invest more time in preserving the marine resources. Due to over exploitation and use of destructive fishing gears like LED lights, bull trawling, bottom trawling ,high speed China engines, marine resources are depleting and even some species are extinct. Due to this the fish price is accelerating and is unaffordable to the common man.”
He further urged Fisheries Department to invest more time in protecting the marine life and rejuvenating the extinct species. “This can be achieved by notifying eco/marine sensitive areas and even restricting fish catch in those areas,” he stated.
Another fisherman said that the subsidy to fishermen is not released on time and instead of wasting money they should encourage fishermen to get affordable fish for Goans.
