Friday 27 February 2015

Call for (1) stationing permanent fishing patrol boat in Zuari river and (2) Immediate cancelation of permissions for water sports by Aqua sail, Hotel Grand Hyatt etc

Date: 27th February 2015
                           1
To,
The Governor,
Government of Goa
Dona Paula, Goa
                           2
To,
The Chief Minister,
Government of Goa
Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
                            3
To,
The Minister of Fisheries,
Government of Goa,
Secretariat,
Porvorim, Goa
                           4
To,
The Chief Secretary,
Government of Goa,
Secretariat,
Porvorim, Goa
                            5
To,
The Secretary (Fisheries)
Government of Goa,
Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
                            6
To,
The  Secretary (Finance),
Government of Goa,
Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
                           
To,
The Captain of Ports,
River Navigation Department
Panjim, Goa
                             8
To,
The Director,
Department of Tourism,
Panjim,  Goa
                           9                        
To,
The Director,
Department of Fisheries,
Government of Goa,
Panjim, Goa
                           10
To,
The Collector (North Goa),
Government of Goa
Panjim, Goa
                           11
To,
The Mamlatdar,
Tiswadi Taluka,
Panjim, Goa
                            12
To,
The Director-General of Police (DGP)
Police Headquarters,
Panjim, Goa
                         13
To,
The Superintendent of Police (North Goa)
Porvorim, Goa
                          14
To,
Vishnu Surya Wagh
The Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), St. Andre Constituency, Goa
                            15
To,
The Parish Priest,
Our Lady of Bethlehem,
Bambolim
Goa
                         16
To
The Sarpanch,
Village Panchayat of Curca – Bambolim- Talaulim
Goa
                             17
To,
The Sarpanch,
Village Panchayat of Siridao
Goa
                         18
To,
The Sarpanch,
Village Panchayat of Taleigao,
Goa
                          19
To,
The Sarpanch,
Village Panchayat of Santa Cruz, Goa
                         20
To,
The Parish Priest,
Our Lady of Rosary Church,
Siridao, Goa


Subject:  Call for (1) stationing permanent fishing patrol boat in Zuari river and (2) Immediate cancelation of permissions for water sports by Aqua sail, Hotel Grand Hyatt etc.

Sir/Madam,

(1)    As you are already aware of our letters to you dated 21stNovember 2014, 15th December 2014 and 19th January 2015 and that fishermen of Zuari coast in Tiswadi taluka are facing intense violations of fishing rights. Here we write to update on the situation since our last letter of 19th January 2015 and calling upon you to act in defense of traditional fishermen and stop illegal fishing in Zuari River by trawlers as well as incursions by Hotel Grand Hyatt, Bambolim through the water sports activities. The details are listed below.
(2) 17th January 2015:  Fresh fishing rights violations were reported at Bambolim coast in Goa's Zuari river on behalf of Hotel Grand Hyatt. They sent out double motored tourist boat with passengers on board at 9.00 am.
(3) 17th January 2015 : At 4.00 pm today 6 trawlers are engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari river. Superintendent of fisheries when phoned is asking for the id number of each trawler with the fishermen on shore that is impossible to get. Coastal Police station at Harbor says that their boats have gone to Divar and is unable to attend calls of illegal fishing. At 6.30 pm two trawlers were still carrying on illegal fishing.
(4) 18th January 2015: at 3.00 pm nine trawlers were present. At 5.00 pm number swelled to 13. Police at Harbor Police station, Vasco contacted, Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, Director of Fisheries Sharmila Monteiro contacted. No action taken. No trawlers arrested.
(5) 6th February 2015: Four trawlers engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari River from 7.00 am to 9.30 am.
(6) 9th February 2015: Morning session witnessed sixteen trawlers engaged in illegal fishing at 7.00 am in Zuari river. Evening session witnessed six trawlers engaged in illegal fishing. When fishermen and member of local Panchayat Sanjay Pereira from  Cacra village phoned up Director of Fisheries Sharmila Monteiro on her mobile she told him not to call her up to complain and instead direct her calls to Superintendent of fisheries. No action was taken against trawlers today by police or by Fisheries department.
(7) 10th February 2015: Today it was new record for illegal fishing in Zuari river. In the morning session at 6.00 am 30 trawlers were found to have been engaged in illegal fishing. Police says their boat already patrolling the river. It looks like police bluff fishermen today as no police boat was visible in the river and illegal fishing continued unabated. Superintendent of Fisheries was provoking fishermen to come over to the Fisheries department to create law and order problem.  Then at 5.30 pm 7 trawlers were engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari river. No action taken against them. 
(8) 11th February 2015: Today afternoon at 1.30 pm Seven trawlers were found engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari river. 
(9) 12th February 2015: In the morning at 10.30 am 8 trawlers were found to be engaged in illegal fishing.  20 trawlers were found engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari river today at 4.10 pm. Information was sent to all the authorities of the Fisheries department - Minister, Director, Superintendent of Fisheries. Superintendent over the phone denied the existence of illegal trawlers in Zuari. Fishermen challenged him to come. Then Fisheries department patrol boat appeared in Zuari river and confronted the trawlers. Trawlers then left Zuari river. 
(10) 13th February 2015: At 4.00 pm 8 trawlers were noticed engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari river. Police at Harbour and other authorities in Fisheries department informed about illegal activities of trawlers.
(11) 14th February 2015: At 6.00 am there were 18 trawlers fishing illegally in Zuari river today. In the evening at 5.00 pm 15 trawlers carried on illegal fishing in the same river close to Siridao coast. Fisheries department patrolling boat was on holiday as today being Saturday. Police boat as per information from coastal police at Vasco Harbor suffered breakdown. After sms was circulated to inform this to public and press as well as authorities in Fisheries department one police boat was found to be rushing to chase the trawlers away into Arabian Sea at around 5.30 pm. No trawlers were detained. All of them fled.
(12) 16th February 2015: Today morning there were 16 trawlers illegally fishing in Zuari River and fisheries department adopted 'care-a-damn' attitude. Infuriated with such a behavior fishermen entered the office of the department and questioned the authorities. Director Sharmila Monteiro was not committal on providing 24 hour surveillance of Zuari River to stop illegal fishing. She said department can station Patrol Boat only for 10 days in Zuari river and after that boat will have to be shifted to other areas of illegal fishing.
(13) 17th February 2015: In spite of assurance to stop illegal fishing by the Director of fisheries yesterday, today there were six trawlers engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari River.
(14) 18th February 2015: At 4.30 pm 17 trawlers are engaged in illegal trawler fishing in Zuari river.
(15) 19th February 2015: Hotel Grand Hyatt did sent out motored tourist boat in Zuari river at 4.30 pm. Fishermen has objected the hotel from indulging in Fishing rights violation.
(16) 19th February 2015: there were 18 trawlers carrying on illegal fishing in Zuari River. When authorities were contacted at 7.30 am police boats entered Zuari River and intercepted three trawlers. Remaining went away into Arabian Sea were they have permission to carry on fishing. Repeated fishing here takes place only because of Fisheries department has not installed permanent patrol vessel.  
(17)  20th February 2015: at 4.30 pm two trawlers indulged in violation of fishing rights in Zuari River. 
(18) 21st February 2015: at 2.30 pm 13 trawlers carried on illegal trawling. Harbor police in Vasco were informed immediately. Police boats arrive three hours later at 5.30 pm. even after police arrived trawlers did not move from the river and went to carry on fishing with police protection. When harbor police were called up they denied have provided police protection, said police might be from Coast Guard.
(19) 21st February 2015: Over 50 water sports boats are in the river and near 5 motored boats moving around in Zuari with open violations of fishing rights. State Government is actively abating the violations of fishing rights.
(20) 22nd February 2015: new record for illegal fishing in Zuari river. At 7.00 am 25 trawlers in Zuari river. At 4.00 pm 20 trawler doing the same. So total violations are 45 for the day for trawlers alone.  Besides there were 20 water sports boats in river engaged in water sports activities race.
(21) 23rd February 2015: 30 trawlers in Zuari river engaged in illegal fishing. Then at 4.00 pm there were 20 trawlers doing the same. Police informed and reported at Zuari at 5.30 pm. Trawlers dispersed. Then returned at 7.00 pm and continued illegal fishing. Police informed again. Police reported that they will come by 8.00 pm in night.
(22) 24th February 2015: At 2.45 pm there were 16 trawlers engaged in illegal fishing Zuari river. At 7.15 pm on the same day there were five trawlers engaged in illegal fishing in Zuari River. Police when contacted said they can send their boats only after 8.00 pm well beyond trawlers moved on after fishing illegally, unsustainably, unethically . This is a deplorable state of affairs as far as sustainability of fisheries is concerned.
(23) 25th February 2015: At 8.00 am there were 16 trawlers indulging in illegal fishing in Zuari river. Harbor Police, Fisheries Minister of Goa Avertano Furtado was contacted, both promised to send in their boats. But no boats were seen in the river by traditional fishermen. Then again at 3.00 pm 15 trawlers were noticed indulging in illegal fishing. Again Police and Fisheries department was contacted. Again action was promised to Rohidas Andrade. It remained empty promise with no action.

Zero action from police and the Fisheries department was noticed on ground in Zuari River. A trawler continued till well beyond 7.00 pm when was dark and tracking was not possible. Harbor Police as contacted over the phone in the night and asked for their inaction. The reply that was given is that the Police boats went in Zuari River but could not trace any trawlers and met up with Fisheries department boat indulging in Patrolling! Blatant falsehood!
(24) Our Advice: Due these repeated violations of fishing rights we have two advices to Fisheries Department. The first one is to install permanent patrol vessel in Zuari River 24 hour. If there is no boat then get it sanctioned from Finance Ministry. The second suggestion is to revoke permissions for water sports granted to Aqua sail with immediate effect. If any other hotel/firm like Hotel Grand Hyatt, Aldeia de Goa etc has been given permission for water sports then that too must be revoke.

Awaiting your positive and prompt action,

Thanking you in anticipation.


Yours sincerely,
            Sd/-
Maggie Silveira
President, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Goa State Unit

             Sd/-
Sanjay Pereira
Convener, Bharat Mutkti Morcha, Cacra unit


                Sd/-
Rohidas Andrade
Convener, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Bambolim unit


                   Sd/-
Soccoro Braganza
Convener, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Siridao Unit
Anthony Cardozo
Convener, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Curca Unit

               Sd/-
Sitaram Pereira
Convener, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Odxel Unit

            Sd/-
Milind Palkar
Convener, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Nauxi unit

                Sd/-
Chandrakant Lotlikar
Secretary, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Siridao Unit
         
              Sd/-
Deu Kankonkar
Secretary, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Nauxi Unit


                Sd/-
Jeronio D’Souza,
Secretary, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Siridao Unit


                   Sd/-
Vishnu Kankonkar

Secretary, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Bambolim

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