Allege dadagiri by contractor Threaten to agitate if local fishermen, boat owners are meted harassment
the goan I network
MARGAO
Reminding that the wholesale market was primarily built for the local fishermen, Goan traditional fishermen along with boat owners told SGPDA chairman Wilfred D’Sa on Monday that the fish traders and agents, bringing fish from outside the state, have established supremacy in the market at the cost of the local fishermen.
They have warned the PDA chairman to stop the dadagiri resorted to by the contractor, saying they will be forced to take the law in their own hands if local fishermen,
including the boat owners
are meted harassment in the market.
At an interaction held at the SGDPA office at the instance of Wilfred D’Sa, various fishermen associations, including the Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott, Cutbona Boat Owners Union, Cutbona fisheries cooperative societies and other fishermen associations point blank told the PDA chairman that there’s no space even for the local fishermen and boat owners to enter the market with their catch.
They claimed that vehicles bringing fish from across the borders occupy space in the wholesale market in the wee hours, leaving no space for the vehicles of the local fishermen to enter the market.
GRE President Agnelo Rodrigues wondered for whom is the wholesale fish market if the local fishermen or boat owner cannot sell their fish.
He questioned why the market is closed every day at 9 am, barring entry to fishermen and boat owners from getting the day’s catch in the market.
“This market was built for local fishermen. Today, it is taken over by traders and agents, so much so we cannot even get our catch to the market after 9 am. There are instances when the contractor has kicked the fish baskets of fishermen. This is unacceptable. We will not take things lying down anymore,” Agnelo
said.
While urging the chairman to stop the presence of bouncers in the market, Agnelo told the chairman that migrant women are selling retail fish in the market after paying Rs 50 to the
collectors.
President of Cutbona Boat Owners Union Savio D’Silva warned that the boat owners and fishermen will have no option than to take law in their hands if the discrepancy in collecting the toll on vehicles continues. “There’s no uniform rate for the vehicles entering the market. This should stop immediately before things go out of control,” he warned.
Chairman of the Cutbona Fisheries society Vinay Tari impressed upon the PDA chairman and members that the very purpose of building the wholesale fish market will be defeated if local fishermen and boat owners cannot enter the market or are blocked by outside
fish agents.
While asserting there cannot be resale of fish in the market, Tari reminded the PDA chairman that even a ramponkar bringing his catch in 2-3 baskets is also a wholesaler along with a boat owner, who gets 20-23 baskets. “There should not be resale in the wholesale fish market. People should not be allowed to resell fish in the market after buying from the boat owners or ramponkars,” Tari demanded.
After giving the delegations a patient hearing, Wilfred said the PDA will demarcate areas for local fishermen and boat owners to do business in the market. He said the PDA will finalise the rates on vehicles, which will then be implemented by the contractor, while admitting that the contractor cannot kick fish baskets out.
“There are several issues raised by the fishermen and boat owners, including the stinking environment. We will resolve the issues,” he said.
When the media pointed out that fish vehicles continue to remain in the wholesale fish market after 10 am, violating permit conditions, Wilfred assured to direct the contractor to send all vehicles out of the market after the set time. Sopo collection not tenderED for last 16 years
MARGAO: The(SGDPA was caught on the wrong foot as it came to light that the PDA has not tendered the sopo collection, running into lakhs of rupees, over the last 16 years.
That’s not all. SGDPA Chairman Wilfred D’Sa also conceded that some unregistered associations are collecting sopo from the vehicles entering the market.
While demanding that the wholesale fish market sopo collection be immediately tendered by the PDA, local fishermen and fisheries societies said they are ready to take the tender and even pay Rs two lakhs a month if the incumbent contractor has taken the collection for Rs 1.5 lakh.
Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott general secretary Olencio Simoes demanded a government inquiry into the repeated defaults by the PDA to tender the sopo collection.
“If the previous body failed to tender the sopo collection, there ought to be an inquiry into the loss of revenue,” he said, demanding immediate tendering of the sopo collection.
He said Goans as well as tourists are still apprehensive of consuming fish from the wholesale fish market, post-formalin scare, while demanding that the local fisheries associations should be allowed to collect sopo collection.
“It is a shame there was no tendering of the wholesale fish market for the last 16 years. What does this mean. The government should order an inquiry into the episode,” he added.
