There was face-off yesterday morning between Caranzalem fishers and the Oceanmann swimming team at Aivao Beach. It has now come to light that this event might have been permitted by Captain of Ports to be organised in Zuari river waters at Bambolim beach on 26 October 2025 morning.
Monday, 27 October 2025
Did Oceanmann swimming event had permissions for Bambolim beach?
There was face-off yesterday morning between Caranzalem fishers and the Oceanmann swimming team at Aivao Beach. It has now come to light that this event might have been permitted by Captain of Ports to be organised in Zuari river waters at Bambolim beach on 26 October 2025 morning.
Sunday, 26 October 2025
Construction of wall in Zuari river waters at Bambolim by Hotel Grand Hyatt
25.10.2025
To,
Member Secretary,
Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority,
Panaji, Goa
Subject: Construction of wall in Zuari river waters at Bambolim by Hotel Grand Hyatt
Sir/Madam
All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) pre-occupied with the above subject as the its fisher members on Zuari river coast are directly affected.
There is ongoing construction of retaining wall in Zuari river waters by using heavy machinery specially at night time by Hotel Grand Hyatt at Bambolim.
The destruction in this manner of the coast has made portion of Bamboljm Beach dissappear under construction material dumped in by Hotel Grand Hyatt.
This is affecting fishing activities adversely. We are aware from media reports that many people including St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar has already brought this nefarious activity to your attention. However we write this to you after noticing that inspite of all the public objections Hotel Grand Hyatt continues to carry on constructions almost 10 meters into the Zuari waters.
This encroaching of water spaces contributes to rising of water in fishing sites.
Kindly direct your staff to stop this zuari river land grab immidiately.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Shaila D'mello
President
Laximan Mangueshkar
Secretary
Copy to:
1. Chief Minister of Goa, Porvorim Goa
2. Viresh Borkar, MLA, St. Andre Constituency
3. Sarpanch, Bambolim Panchayat, Bambolim, Curca, Goa
Wednesday, 3 September 2025
What's concrete at Bambolim Beach?
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!
Saturday, 21 September 2024
Night-time Hooliganism On Beach Stretch From Dona Paula To Siridao
Date 17th September 2024
To,
Secretary (Home),
Secretariat,
Porvorim,
Goa
To,
The Director,
Directorate of Fisheries,
Panaji, Goa,
To,
Superitendent of Police,
Coastal Security,
Panaji, Goa
Sub: Night-time hooliganism on beach stretch from Dona Paula to Siridao
Sir/Madam,
All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) are obliged to bring to your urgent attention night time hooliganism on beaches on Zuari river coast from Dona Paula to Siridao beach. People visit on these beaches - often with vehicles without number plates - after 11.00 pm and spend time on beaches till morning. Sometimes males and females are together as couples. Sometimes groups of males descend on beaches with alcohol bottles. After drinking they routinely break glass bottles on beaches and close to fishing canoes creating dangerous situation for fishers. Often there are cases of narcotics consumption too.
Please pay urgent attention to this for the sake of safety of fishing operations by canoes on a these beaches due to broken glass pieces every night.
Awaiting your response.
Thanking You,
Yours sincerely,
Shaila D'mello
President
Laximan Mangueshkar
Secretary
Thursday, 4 April 2024
Compulsion to converse in English by Fisheries surveyor
03 April 2024
To,
The Director of Fisheries,
Government of Goa,
Panaji, Goa
Subject: Compulsion from Fisheries Surveyor to speak
English by fishers of Bambolim, Nauxim villages
Madam,
We wish to bring to your attention that English speaking has been made compulsory for fishing communities by Fisheries surveyor of Goa Fisheries department in Bambolim, Nauxim villages.
Currently mass of fishing communities of these villages doesn't have fluency in and understanding of English and most mode of verbal communication is in Konkani. This has created obstacles in fishing related communications with Fisheries Surveyor deputed in these villages. We appreciate good intention of your Fisheries Surveyor in his approach towards English though currently not equipped with skills to do so.
In order to make fishing communities proficient in spoken English dealing with Fisheries Surveyor we request you the following:
1. Depute staff from your office to train adult fishing community members from Bambolim, Nauxim and other villages/places/localities/territory within the administration Jurisdiction of Fisheries Surveyor Harish Prabhu to teach English.
This will alleviate linguistic hardships currently faced by fishing communities due to adamant insistence to speak speak English with Mr. Prabhu.
We will collaborate with Fisheries department as English proficiency will be beneficial to fishing communities towards self-empowerment while dealing with such Fisheries surveyors and beyond.
Till this arrangement for adult Education program for spoken English is carried on appropriate instruction be given to the above named Fisheries Officer to make communications fishing communities easy and seemless preferably in Konkani till linguistic skills of our communities are upgraded by your office.
Thanking you in advance.
Yours sincerely,
Shaila D'mello
(President)
Laximan Mangueshkar
(Secretary)
Friday, 24 August 2018
Time for Three in Goa Fisheries Department to resign!
Bharat Mukti Morcha, Goa Unit currently also involved is defending fishing habitats in Zuari river in collaboration with local fishers for the past four years after invitation from fishing communities from Odxel, Cacra, Nauxim, Bambolim and Siridao with principle of Empathetic Engagement . Some of the major challenges that needs urgent public attention are listed below.
Illegal Trawling and illegal purse seine fishing deserves focus here. Fishers from the above listed villages on November 15, 2017 were promised 24 hour patrolling by the Goa Fisheries Minister Vinoda Palyenkar and Agriculture Minister Vijay Sardessai in presence of Talegao MLA Jenifer Montserrat at Goa Legislative Assembly. Assurance was also given to increase the fine for illegal fishing by trawlers and purse seine boats from Rs.100/- to Rs.50,000/-. However till date this assurance remains unfulfilled.
In the meanwhile aggression on Zuari river is as intense as ever as evident from the community monitoring records maintained by the Siridao-Odxel coastal fishers. On 18/08/2018 there were 10 trawlers at 8.00 pm carrying on illegal fishing in Zuari. Three of them very close to Siridao Coast. On 23/08/2018 five trawlers carried on illegal fishing in Zuari river at 6.00 am. On 24/08/2018 around 40 mini purse seine boats carried on illegal fishing in Zuari river at 6.00 am and four trawlers carried on illegal fishing in Zuari river at 8.00 am.
It has been observed by fishing communities of this coast that when telephone calls are made to fisheries department no action is initiated. On the contrary mobile numbers with names of complaining fishers are shared with the offending trawlers and purse seine boat owners who in turn call up fishermen in Zuari who complain and threaten. Due to this flop show at Goa Fisheries Department control room and negligence in installing 24 hours patrolling of Zuari river there is likely situation of law and order problem. Coastal Police too has responsibility to stop illegal fishing but they too are relaxed about it for the reasons best known to them.
The consequence of this situation is severe. Goa's own marine biologist Aaron Lobo has scientifically demonstrated the huge damage that trawlers cause while fishing. He has compared it to the massive razing of forest on land above water. Because of this damage fishermen in Goa and other parts of India organised themselves and late Mathany Saldanha played pivotal role towards this. Purse seine nets catches tiny fish life and threat of fish depletion is severe. By law both trawling and purse seine nets are are banned within five kilometers from the shore.
Fishers in Fisheries department are well aware of the various problems faced by these coastal communities. In case any public member wants evidence then it can be procured by filing RTI application at Fisheries department seeking all the letters received from Bharat Mukti Morcha from 2014 to 2018.
The only serious officer of Goa administration who wanted to help these communities is Govind Jaiswal, IAS who was Secretary (Fisheries) as well as Director. Because of his helpful approach he has been replaced by new Secretary Daulat Hawaldar, IAS. (This decision is taken under pressure from corporate interests linked to waters sports after Jaiswal took up steps initiate study on effects of water sports on fishing and marine ecology). Looking at the daily violations in Zauri river it can be safely concluded that Mr. Halwaldar along with the Director V. Arlekar are incompetent, inefficient and irresponsible as fisheries administration in has witnessed colossal collapse.
On August 14, 2018 these fishermen were called to the Fisheries Department for a meeting with Fisheries Minister Vinoda Palyenkar, Secretary (Fisheries) Daulat Hawladar, Director of Fisheries Vinesh Arlekar, Deputy Director Smita Muzumdar, Deputy Director C. Velip and Superintendent of Fisheries Chandresh. After listening to the problems expressed by fishers delegation led by Sanjay Pereira Secretary (Fisheries) Daulat Hawaldar assured to make a difference, a break from past.
Alas! his promise now has proved to be an empty one. Minister of Fisheries Vinoda Palyenkar has lost his daring bearing that his has displayed at the start of his innings as minister and now is merely behaves as a caged rat of the illegal fishing mafia. His performance record that raised hope is turning into trigger of despair. We hardly need such behavior from a minister in Goa. He has facilitated diversion of Mhadei to vested interest in Karnataka in his capacity as Water Resources Minister by planned mismanagement at Mhadei Tribunal, and sold Zuari to illegal trawlers and illegal purse seiners. Situation in Zuari has degraded to the same level as during tenure of Dr. Shamila Monteiro who was removed from her post as director of fisheries. Now all the top leadership of Fisheries department must be thrown out. This includes Vinoda Palyenkar the Minister of Fisheries, Daulat Hawaldar, Secretary (Fisheries) and Director Vinesh Arlekar. All of them are proved irresponsible. Time for all three to resign and go as there is total collapse of administration on Zuari river.
Sebastiao Rodrigues
Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Why Goa needs to depend upon Nagpur for radiation monitoring?
Monday, 26 March 2018
Mobile Towers radiation monitoring a must in Goa
It is confirmed yet again that mobile companies are allowed to operate in Goa without any mechanism in place to check their tower radiation emission. Goa though has State Telecom Committee headed by its Chief Secretary with officials Chief Town Planner, Secretary (Urban Development) with member-secretary of Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) currently it looks to be in paralysis, in active. The situation is dangerous not only to human beings but to every life form in Goa.
Goa has no facility to monitor radiation in spite of recent bravado talks by State Political leaders like Manohar Parrikar and Vijay Sardesai. Goa wrote to Term Cell in Nagpur Maharashtra on 09/09/2016 to carry on EMI monitoring but nothing has happened till date in spite of one reminder letter after gap of 15 months and 15 days on 24/01/2018. Still there is no reply. Goa Government wrote again on 15/03/2018 to Nagpur and still hope to get reply.
Why Goa government still lingering on Nagpur for radiation monitoring in Goa?Are there no other agencies who can do monitoring and give radiation update reports?
Now the ball is in the court of Member - Secretary, Goa State Telecom Committee to act. We share here the documents in this regard for wider public to know and act. BMM has followed up we have received above replies from GSPCB Superintending Engineer Shivanand Salelkar. How mobile towers are sanctioned in the first place without radiation monitoring in place in Goa? Forever depend upon term cell in Nagpur? And as now is the case they ignore Goa's requests Goa Government keeps silent over such a massive disaster? If Goa continues to be incompetent in radiation monitoring then they should be shut down till monitoring facility is set up in Goa State.
Several people and groups all over Goa has filed complaints against mobile towers fearing radiation threats to life but Goa's Ministry of environment is behaving totally irresponsible manner. It looks like Political leadership has no guts to speak out on this reality or are they been silenced by mobile phone companies?
Bharat Mukti Morcha has two complaints pending against mobile towers in Bambolim-Nauxim villages in Tiswadi taluka.
As it matters to human as well as other lives the Goa State Telecom Committee must be be decisive enough to act with immediate effect. Will Chief Secretary of Goa act on this or not? Or Goa CM Parrikar will stop any action on mobile towers? People of Goa are watching your irresponsibilities and are disgusted of your inaction for past year and half.


