Date:
27th February 2015
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1
To,
The Governor,
Government of Goa
Dona Paula, Goa
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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!
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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