Team Herald
VASCO: Olencio Simoes of Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott has been re-elected as the Vice Chairperson of National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) at its annual general body meeting held at Ernakulam, Kochi, recently.
Narendra Patil was elected as chairperson and T Peter as general secretary.
Simoes, along with the elected committee, vowed to address the coastal communities concerns across the States commemorating the Kanyakumari March of 1989.
“Protect Water, Protect Life” will be the slogan of the march in 2020, which will be addressing the current scenario revealing the complete dispossession and alienation of coastal and marine commons (oceans, seas, beaches, seashores, lagoons, salt marsh lands, sand dunes, estuaries, river banks, lakes and other inland water bodies).
He further stated that the Central government policies on the inter-linking of rivers and nationalisation of 111, Major Port Authorities Act 2016 to 12 major ports in India and the plan to implement Mariculture Project inclusive of the solar floating panels and the sea-based windmill projects to generate electricity are all detrimental and damaging to the small-scale artisanal fishing communities.
Simoes said, “The conference saw deliberations about the possibilities of drafting a bill addressing and safeguarding the rights of historical fishing communities and other traditional coastal communities. In this regard the NFF will be having consultations with the communities across the coastal States.”
He also said that all coastal States decided to ban all destructive gears and Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka will meet Union Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Giriraj Singh and Minister of State of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Pratap Chandra Sarangi to immediately ban LED lights, bull trawling, high speed engine and trawling.
Simoes further warned and demanded that the Fisheries Minister Filip Neri to immediately act against LED light fishing or face law order situation in the State of Goa.
