Monday 23 March 2015

Bharat Mukti Morcha rejects talks on fishing rights violations

Bharat Mukti Morcha rejects suggestions to hold any talks on fishing rights violations in Zuari river. Through occasions and petition to various authorities Bharat Mukti Morcha has already made its stand clear that all the hurdles in the way of fishing communities in Zuari coming from Tourism, water sports, trawlers etc must be cleared away. 

February 22, 2015 Triathlon - whose location partner was advertised as Hotel Grant Hyatt  that has violated environmental laws - caused damage and destruction of fishing activities in Zuari river. Caritas- Goa has come to claim that this was organised in their aid for a 'good cause' of supporting HIV positive children. Irrespective of the cause it is on record that this even has caused terrible disruption to the fishing activities in Zuari and Bharat Mukti Morcha will continue to oppose without yielding to any corporate arm-twisting tactic through any of the NGOs.

On 16th March 2015 Assistant Director of Caritas- Goa Fr.Savio Maria Fernandes called up Maggie Silveira to talks. After consulting communities on Zuari shore offer was rejected the next day March 17, 2015.

Hotel Grand Hyatt as its location partner has derived great mileage in accumulating legitimacy for its illegalities. It is immoral and politically suicidal to associate with such a project. This is just a novel way of operations adopted by Bamon Raj. Caritas-Goa has Bamon Felipe Neri Ferrao as its ex-officio President and Fr.Maverick Fernandes as its Director. Fr.Maverick in sms communication to Rohidas Andrade, Bambolim convenor of Bharat Mukti Morcha has claimed that "We are very much committed to the preservation of the locals. For your info we have persistently taken up the causes of traditional occupations without any hesitations always". He however missed to admit that he is still hesitating to take up the cause of large amount of agricultural land displaced from the tribals when Church sold it for Ciba-Geigy to set up industry that is today known as Syngenta in Corlim, Tiswadi. 

Fr.Maverick is still to public to take up the cause of illegal and immoral sale of Vanxim by the current Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao who is also Caritas-Goa Ex-officio President. Why Fr.Maverick not taking up these issue of the locals? Because he will have to confront the Archbishop who is a culprit. Fr.Maverick Fernandes (does) have guts and courage to confront his own Archbishop. If he does then he is sure to be stripped off his positions in Caritas - Goa as well as CSJP. 

His contention is that Triathlon of February 22, 2015 was not organised by Hotel Grand Hyatt but by an NGO. Fine. True. Then this NGO collaborated with Hotel Grand Hyatt as location partner. Even Director of Fisheries Sharmila Monteiro remarked that it was unfortunate that this Hotel Grand Hyatt was its location partner. Indirect collaboration is in any way a collaboration. And the event was organised in aid of Caritas-Goa. The posters were placed all over Panjim city. This is really an ethical issue for Caritas to grapple with.

This Triathlon was repeated one month later on March 22, 2015 with fresh set of fishing rights violations. Bharat Mukti Morcha protested the repeat violations. Caritas - Goa with Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao as its Ex-officio President  has been transformed into corporate buffer punching agency.

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