In the face of repeated incidents of illegal trawling and illegal purse seine fishing within 05 kms from the shore Goa Fisheries department has issued communication hand out detaining new phone numbers to connect with Fisheries Control Room. Let's hope it's effective to combat the situation at hand.
There are almost daily reports of illegal trawling and purse seine fishing within 05 kms specified area off Goa coast. Reports have also come in from Zuari river where Captain of Ports have provided have stationed special patrol boat at Bambolim Beach. This boat is to be operated by Police at Coastal Security Police station at Harbour, Vasco.
Boat remains inactive on the beach. Phone call from Captain of Ports in-charge officer to Harbour Police Station revealed something shocking few days ago when delegation from All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) visited COP office on Monday 22 September 2025 and met Octavio Rodrigues the COP to inquire about location of COP patrol vessel given to Harbour police to combat illegal fishing in Zuari river.
Police at Harbour informed that illegal trawling and illegal purse seine is not visible to Police even though 40 fishing vessels carried on their day light robbery on the mouth of Zuari from 7.00 am onwards until 10.00 am past four days from 19-23 September 2025.
Fisheries department has patrol boat of its own which is under repairs for past year and a half as per sources inside the department. Department boat has vanished from the waters and nowhere visible.
Coastal Police too has its Patrol boats but they are seen only during VIP visits Security or they go to fish out dead bodies of those who fall off/ suicide from Sanvordem Bridge. Police at Harbour Station view traditional small scale fishers with contempt and disrespect and don't consider it is worthy norm to obey the mandates of law to crack down on illegal trawling and purse seine within 05 kms from the shore. There are repeated complaints in this regards in Zuari river. There are other reports too from other shores in Goa like Morjim, Calangute, Candolim, Benaulim, Colva, Cavelosim etc off illegal trawling and purse seine within 05 kms.
Many carry on purse seine without permissions for their nets. Other use canoes without registration number painted on them.
The greed and avarice to move towards mechanization has prompted vast oppression and disparity within fishing sector in Goa to the detrimental consequences for marine ecology as well as livelihood of small scale fishers within five kilometers from the shore and in Zuari river.
All the above reasons are responsible for continue illegal fishing off Goa coast and in Zuari river too.
Around 40 mini purse seine fishing boats have entered the mouth of Zuari River at 07.00 am today 23 September 2025. Purse seine fishing nets allowed only beyond 05 kms from Goa shore.
Here is new Goa Fisheries Control room to call up and complain: 9823010672.
Today 22 September 2025 from 7.00 am in the morning till 10.00 am around 40 boats carried on illegal fishing on the mouth of Zuari river opposite Dona Paula Jetty.
Several phone calls to Fisheries Control Room went in vain without response. Then once call was answered and it was disclose that the information about this incident of illegal fishing communicated to the senios officer concerned.
Visit to Fisheries Control room revealed that the officer concerned is Superitendent of Fisheries named Chandresh Haldankar.
The rest of department is in Vasco for Seva Pakhwada at Ravindra Bhavan and cleanliness drive at Baina Destero beach at Vasco-da-Gama.
You may reach out to Chandresh Haldankar and question his irresponsible behaviour to support illegal fishing in Zuari river today and every day as per information received from Fisheries Control Room today at 10.00 am.
Chandresh Haldankar: 09764480663
Got information now that 13 trawlers are illegally fishing in Zuari river near Goa Shipyard with navigation lights off at 9.30 pm on 19 September 2025 night
This information was verified and confirmed by fishers in waters as well as locals on land staying close-by to Goa Shipyard.
This is a night transitioning from 18th September to 19th September 2025. This is a night with sleep far at bay. Got to know Rama Kankonkar got hammered by half a dozen goons in Caranzalem. Got to know that this happened just before noon around 11.30 am. Videos are out in media. Fearless half dozen men attacked Rama, injured his body. Intention looked to be to kill him. Crime was open and bold. In full view of camera recording.
It looks planned, well organised to execute to perfection.
From the utterance of assailants it appears that some corridors of power have reached desperation. They are not able to resolve the conflicting issues in civilized negotiatonf manner and resorted to barbaric conduct inflicting pain, fear and damage to public morale.
Worst thing to know is that the assailants are reportedly history sheeter team who are involved in earlier attacks on Rama Kankonkar few months ago in Bambolim.
It has not faded from public memory that Rama's car was set ablaze by people yet to be identified few years ago at his residence in Curca.
Crime spree touched new high. It can happen only with expressed authority from corridors of power.
Many criminal aspects of Goa's life are legally protected. Gambling is protected through permissions to operate casinos in water and on land. Land occupation on comunidade land are legalized through Legislative intervention in the State Assembly. Mining loot have been condoned off. Shah commision report pushed in cold storage to allow Mining companies to go scot-free. Goa's coast is brutalized, ecology damaged, beaches dugged up by vested interests threatening coastal ecological security. All this leads to further blossoming of crimes in Goa.
Rama's style of operation and brand of his politics of late is directed towards creating defenders for Goa. He terms them as "Rakhandars". It is this very idea that he shared with me few days ago to materialize with a function on 28 September 2025. I wasn't able to reach put to him due the shocking death of Adv. Bishwa Ranjan Paramguru under suspicious conditions on the streets of Bhubaneshawar on 10th September 2025.
Attack on Rama comes as addition to the shock that I am already into.
We need to carefully dissect the situation as to what provoked this level of violence against Kankonkar, who masterminded the violence, what is the desired goal of such raw violence. What is the role of organised gangs into this?
Goa has come under siege. Local people of Goa have been taken over hostages of destructive powers ruling over Goa and their brand of development.
These strangleholds must be dislodged and shattered. Amongst others Goa is on crossroads - it can move on with local people as captives or as subjects of history taking responsibility for our lives, our society, our polity, our history, our Geography and our destiny itself. All this calls for initiating authentic communication with oppressed people of Goa and not just superficial manipulative involvement for short term political involvement.
It would be interesting to pursue in this direction as society, as active citizenry even as Rama Kankonkar gets space to heal and bounce back in action in days to come.
Dr. Sebastian Rodrigues
Adv. Paramguru died in road "accident" in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha on 10 September 2025. Details surrounding his death are yet to be ascertain.
Adv. Paramguru braved formidable obstacles to get the case admitted to NGT Pune. He followed very high ethical standards are refused to be lured by opposition luring financial offers.
I was amongst those fortunate to have shared time with him in Goa as well as Odisha. His jovial humble nature was rather unusual for the brilliance that he carried over his shoulders. His expressed fears about snakes and the way he expressed them while tracking Goa's mining belt ofter pushed people around us into jiffy.
I often joked about his surname that he is supreme teacher - Paramguru. And he would reply "No sir, I got that surname from my parents, nothing more." After his death I realised that he so neatly bluffed me!
While he was amongst us he set us into high level of comfort and joy, news of his death came as rude shock unleashing sorrowful tears from deepest core of my being.
I share no competent words to describe Adv. Paramguru's contribution to defending Goa's ecology from mining corporate aggression. Few in this world are enigmas and Adv. Paramguru is amongst them.
We have no words to console his school going daughter, young wife, his brother and all those share close affinity and friendship with him over thus loss. May they find courage to move on in life. For those of us who shared close moments in struggle his life remains an experience so deeply inspiring: a boy born with no silver spoon in his mouth could attain position of strength and influence, defending those on margins, upholding Justice in courtrooms, showing that human can remain unflinching, uncompromising in the face of adversaries as mammoth and as dangerous as mining industry.
While we say good bye my friend we leave a taste of what he stood to defend about Goa, it's people, life and economy and ecology:
Press note on Vedanta Bicholim mine https://share.google/RYq0z741zDtGPBj0m
Dr. Sebastian Rodrigues
A month ago Goa witnessed State Fisheries Minister roaring against illegal fishing in territorial waters by bull-trawling using LED lights despite crackdown by Goa Bench of Bombay High Court. Minister Nilkant Halarnkar declared in the Assembly as well as outside the Assembly that drone surveillance will be introduced to combat the illegal fishing in Arabian Sea.
One month later today there are reports of illegal fishing in the entire coast of Goa by Trawlers and mini purse seiners, plundering in day time as well as at night. Clues of such illegalities has come from coasts of Cavelosim, Benaulim, Candolim, Calangute, Morjim and even inside Zuari river stretch from Dona Paula to Siridao.
Minister Nilkant Halarnkar's roars are nowhere to be heard anymore, not even light whispers.
Intention of Goa Fisheries department to activate its enforcement wing is not evident at all. Fisheries Patrolling boat is kept breakdown state for more than years. People taken on job to work on this boat are being paid monthly even though boat have not ventured in waters for full year.
People who complain to Fisheries Control room are reported to those engaged in illegal fishing and subjected to threats over phone calls.
Illegal trawling and illegal purse shining within 5 kms specified area on Goa shore has become far too frequent sunaling cancerous growth of corruption within Fisheries department due to various reasons. Trawling as well as purse seine are both destructive fishing gears damaging marine ecology.
Forget the drones, there is not even a patrol boat. Operation of Fisheries Minister in this context is completely fishy that smells of fixings and compromise leading to betrayal of small scale fishers in Goa.
It in this context it is so very important to stand up and never to let this happen new normal. Time to combat with might.
03 September 2025
To,
Director of Fisheries,
Government of Goa,
Panaji, Goa
Subject: Reply to Dy. Director of Fisheries Shri. Chandrakant Velip letter dated 21/08/2025 on the subject of low coverage of the Fishermen under Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme.
Madam,
All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union is in receipt of above mentioned letter with reference no. DF/GB/KCC 1/Vol.I/2025-26/2629. This letter was discussed at our Union executive committee meeting held on 02.09.2025 and decided as under:
One of the members of All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union named Rohidas Kuttikar from Odxel village had got himself covered under KCC scheme. He availed himself loan of Rupees One lakh only and full amount paid back within one year. As the rules of the scheme state that if loan is paid back within one year then such person is entitled for the rebate of 4%. Which means Rohidas Kuttikar is entitled to received back Rupees Four Thousand only. However it has come to our attention that inspite of Kuttikar approaching your office as well as the concerned bank for past nine months the pending amount is still not deposited in Kuttikar's bank account.
As this constitute fundamental breach of implimentation of KCC in Goa and your office has failed to address the issues involved it is decided not to propagate KCC scheme with fishers for coverage till Rohidas Kuttikar is paid his entitled rebate along with 4% interests on delayed duration of nine months so far. Interest will increase with delays in direct proportion.
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely,
Shaila D'mello
President
Laximan Mangueshkar
Secretary
To,
Director of Fisheries,
Government of Goa,
Panaji, Goa
To,
Superitendent of Police,
Coastal Security,
Panaji, Goa
To,
Captain of Ports,
Government of Goa,
Panaji, Goa
Subject: Rampant illegal mechanised fishing using trawlers and purse seiners within specified area of 5 kms
Madam/ Sir,
All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) sends this letter to inform you that there is daily illegal fishing through trawlers and purse seiners in Zuari river mouth very close to Dona Paula Jetty 29.08.2025, 30.08.2025, 31.08.2025, 01.09.2025 and 02.09.2025. Mostly these activities of illegal fishing was carried on at night time. On 02.09.2025 however illegal trawling and purse seine fishing was carried on both in morning at around 07.00 am and at night from 10.00 pm onwards. We noticed in case of night illegal fishing that within few minutes after registering complaints at Fisheries Control room navigation lights mysteriously goes off and illegal fishing done in dark of night. We wonder why this happens but not too difficult to guess the nature of nexus. This pose serios threats to marine traffic in waters too.
On 01.09.2025 trawlers were seen carrying on fishing very close - 200 metets to the shore at Cavelosim, South Goa in the morning from 8.00 am to 9.30 am.
Illegal mechanised fishing has taken on epidemic proportion spreading cancerous to the Goa shores posing major threats to livelihood and marine ecology besides being contempt of directions of Bombay High Court in writ petition no. 370 of 2024.
You are requested to act on this immediately and station patrol boats at Dona Paula Jetty and at Cavelosim beach.
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely,
Shaila D'mello
President, AGSSRFU
Laximan Mangueshkar
Secretary, AGSSRFU
According to reports Hotel Grand Hyatt at Bambolim, Goa has resumed work of constructing concrete wall in the waters of Zuari river. Fishers site visit yesterday found around dozen workers working in water along with Poklein deployed on site. In the past some years hotel had constructed retaining walls of different material with metal wires as binders. However spot visit shows that retaining walls after collapse has swallowed the beach space. Large portion of Bambolim Beach is occupied with stones brought in by hotel. Bambolim Beach was prestine and favored picnic destination of local people. However installation of Hotel Grand Hyatt has increased coastal stress hugely with fishers on the beach being pushed to the margins.
Over the past several people have filed complaints before various agencies like Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) against construction of concrete wall on Bambolim beach by Hotel Grand Hyatt. St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar had even led public protests against construction of concrete wall on Bambolim beach including candle light protest.
They are filling the beach with laterite soil?
Yesterday laborers were seen laying iron bars on sands of Bambolim beach as preparation to pour concrete to erect a wall.
Are they building a retaining wall?
Yes, inspite of all the protest Hotel Grand Hyatt is sureptiously going ahead inch by inch to concretize Bambolim beach. This hotel is single handedly responsible to mess up Bambolim beach chiefly by putting politicians and beaurocrats on their soft favor rolls.
The way state functions in Goa is colonial inflicting violence on Coastal ecology like brutes in this case of Hotel Grand Hyatt. If beach is concretized beach sand might dissappear.
Do visit Bambolim beach and see for yourself. You can even experience Hotel Grand Hyatt security guards as you seek to visit the beach.
Get organise in teams and visit to Bambolim beach. We cannot let Goa turn into memory in picture post cards with luxury hotels dictating our destiny. It's time to re-claim!
What people connected with Shack on beach stretch of Sinquerim-Candolim-Calangute-Baga does with pokleins at night is terrible. They manage politicians and police to ensure that their clandestine night activities of digging of the beaches goes unreported an law enforcing agencies. They move these machinery on the beach and trigger off the process of lifting the sand in inter-tidal zone and dump it few meters away land side where Sea waves don't reach. They create sort of stage of this excavated sand with elevation.
How it helps the shacks ?
This helps beach shacks to start their bussiness in September two months prior to traditional timing of November. The greed of people connected with shacks including those who have illegally sub-let - by bribing Goa Tourism Department and local politicians - the beach shacks to people from various States in India gets satisfied.
How do fishers suffer?
Fishers have their houses on the beaches. Sand excavation on beaches has triggered massive sand erosion. Local fishers are denied space on beach to move around as beach shacks crowd the coast. Bore wells are dugged to extract water for kitchen in the shacks. Sand erosion is threatening the houses of fishers living on this coast. It's massive disaster unfolding. Fishers suffer greatly as tourism no longer respects local people as hosts. Instead tourism has taken Goa's fishers and ecology as hostages. Even turtles no longer find their nesting spaces intact on beach due to this destructive greed driven human behaviour. Loud music and artificial lighting at night way beyond mid-night is perfect recipe to disrup natural ways conducive to Olive Ridley turtles. No authority cares or rather Authorities that cares a dam are hoisted on licals ever since India annexed Goa through conquest in 1961.
From:
Sanjay Fatarpekar
Cacra,
P.O. Goa University,
Tiswadi, Goa
Date: 02 September 2025
To,
Director of Fisheries,
Government of Goa,
Panaji, Goa
Subject: Intimidating phone call with shocking information of leakage of complaining fishers names to perpetrators of illegal mechanised fishing
Madam,
On 24.08.2025 at 17.46 I received phone call from mobile number 9881736851 telling me that I have filed written complaint against the caller and attached photograph while he was doing illegal mechanised fishing in Zuari river. He told me that one Keshav from Fisheries department and Police Inspector belonging to coastal security Police Station at Harbour have informed him about my conduct. I have requested him to provide proof of such letters and photographs inwarded by me to your office as I don't remember having done so. And even if I had done, should I face such kind of intimidation?
Caller said he hails from Nerul village in Bardez and comes into Zuari river often to do illegal mechazed fishing using purse seine fishing nets.
Please investigate as to under which law my name was given by employee of Fisheries department named Keshav as well as Police Inspector, Coastal Security Police Station at Harbour.
Please share the report after investigation on this matter to the undersigned within 15 days of inward to your office.
This matter is very serious that points towards existence of criminal nexus between Fisheries Department and Coastal Security Police in order to provide cover to those indulging in illegal mechased fishing in the terrotorial waters of Goa.
Awaiting your response.
Thanking you.
Yours Sincerely,
Sanjay Fatarpekar
Copy to:
1. Superitendent of Police Coastal Security, Panaji, Goa
2. President, All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union, Nauxim, Goa
According to available information stability of Sea beach on stretch covering Sinquerim-Candolim-Calangute-Baga has come under fresh threats due to clandestine activities of shifting sands through poklein JCB machinery at night.
Candolim fishers organisation had brought this issue to the attention of North Goa Magistrate on in early July 2025 but authorities chose to sleep over the issue and accelerate threats to Goa's coast. We share text of the same letter:
From:
Joao G.D. Fernandes
937, Camotim Vaddo,
Camdolim, Goa
Mobile: 9689549307
Date: 09 July 2025
To,
Collector and District Magistrate,
North Goa District,
Panjim, Goa
Subject: Application under Disaster Management Act 2005
Sir/Madam,
We draw your urgent attention to main Candolim beach unfolding disaster due to rapid erosion of coastal shore sand.
For past six years beach distance has reduced by nearly 25 meters in monsoons.
Due to rise in Arabian Sea waters shack owners on Candolim Beach deploy JCB pokleins machinery during night time from 9.00 pm to 5.00 am on beach in the month of September every year in CRZ IA and disrupt beach stability. This process has rapidly aggrevated beach erosion to such an extend that major breach in coastal ecological security is on the cards. Anytime Arabian Sea water is likely to enter Candolim village threatening major disaster.
Kindly take urgent note of the situation and call meetings with Tourism, Fisheries, Environment, Panchayat ministries.
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely,
(Joao G.D. Fernandes)
Copy to
1. All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union, 190, Nauxim, P.O. Goa University, Bambolim, Goa
