VASCO: The members of the fishing community from Vasco have slammed the Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado for not keeping his word. They said that the minister failed to fulfill his promise to release compensation of Rs 2 lakhs to the family members of late Francis De Sousa and a UP native Harish Chandra alias Pappu.
According to them, Minister Avertano had promised compensation to the family members of the victims after a ‘Maria Rosa’ capsized near the Naval Coast Battery off Headland-Vasco on August 1, 2014, leaving De Souza dead while Harish Chandra’s body was never recovered.
“It is surprising to note that the incident happened almost a year back and despite assurance of compensation to the family of the deceased, the administration did not reach to the family till date and this has upset all of us as we had supported the BJP government with the hope that the government is of the poor people. We now feel that we were wrong but we are also scared to come out openly because once we are named the administration then starts harassing us by creating hindrance in the subsidy process,” said a senior member from Khariwado fishing community who wished not to be named.
As the State administration failed to provide any help, the newly formed committee of Goa Fishing Boat Owners Association (GFBOA) took up the issue and decided to collect money from the members and finally an amount of Rs 1 lakh was handed over to the family members of fellow fishermen recently.
Although the fishing community from Khariwado have offered monetary support to the victims’ families, they are demanding that the State government immediately release the amount promised to the family members as compensation.
“We are upset only because the government has enough money to sponsor international tours for MLAs and ministers by spending lakhs of rupees from govt coffers but the same government is delaying all help to the family of a Goan fisherman who lost his life in a natural calamity. If the State government cannot give compensation then they should not announce the same. Also it is of no use if somebody puts medicine on the scar after the wound is healed,”a fisherman told Herald.
Surely the unrest amongst the fishing community at Vasco is growing with every passing day and it is up to the State government to take a call before the fishing community starts an uprising against the State government.
