TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: The State government is urging owners of mechanized fishing vessels operating purse seine nets to use power blocks to reduce labour by almost one fourth. To this end the government has introduced a one-time financial assistance scheme for purchase of power blocks for fishermen.
Under this new scheme, the beneficiary will be entitled for one time subsidy of 25 per cent of the cost, limited to Rs 1.50 lakh. “The fishing industry in the State depends to a large extent on labour from outside the State. There is lot of uncertainty and the timely availability of this labour is crucial to the industry. (If workers fail to turn up) many times it renders some of the vessels un-operational,” the government notification reads.
There have been cases where workers are paid huge advance by owners to return for the next fishing season. However workers give fake addresses and do not turn up for the next season and disappear with the advance money.
“The purse seine net which is used for catching pelagic fish requires about 20-25 crew for its operation. In order to reduce the dependency on labour to some extent it is proposed to assist financially in fitting a power block to mechanized fishing vessels operating purse seine net. This will reduce the total labour on a purse seiner from 25 to 6,” the notification added.
To avail the benefit of the scheme, fishing vessel should have to be registered under the Goa, Daman & Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980. The beneficiary should be member of Registered Fisheries Co-operative Societies/Associations and should possess a valid purse seine net and fishing licence.
Government has also made it clear that the beneficiary should not be a defaulter of the Directorate of Fisheries and violator of the Goa, Daman & Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980.
The financial assistance will be disbursed through the applicant’s account through ECS. The original VAT bill has to be submitted by the owner of the vessel from authorized local dealer to claim the subsidy.
Boat owners chide govt for U-turn on ban
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Mechanised boat owners from Cutbona and Vasco have expressed their displeasure over government’s decision to relax fishing ban for canoes having less than 10 HP motors, provided they use only gill nets for fishing.
Addressing a joint press conference on Friday, President of Cutbona Boat Owners Union Seby Cardozo said the government has made a U-turn on the fishing ban by allowing the motorised canoes below 10 HP to fish using gill nets during the ban period. “The government has no machinery to verify whether the canoes go out fishing with one or two motors. It will be beyond the control of the Fisheries Department and the Coast Guard. We are surprised over the government’s U-turn when the ban was being successfully implemented since the last 15 days,” Seby said. He apprehended that the latest decision will only confuse things further.
He said boat owners will come out with an action plan after a meeting with its members.
President of Vasco fishing boat owners association Sydney Furtado also condemned the government’s latest move to dilute the ban.
