On Wednesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant descended on the troubled Cutbona jetty and unleashed fury at boat owners holding them squarely responsible for the deaths of workers. He directed them to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each family of those deceased while stating that the government would also compensate them with Rs 5 lakh each. He set an 8-day deadline to pay failing which the fishing licences could be suspended. That’s not all. Sawant warned boat owners that they would have to pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation for further calamities like these, besides facing legal action.
Like several other businesses, boat owners too have been engaging the migrant workforce at various jetties. It is no secret that hygiene has been a major issue for over a decade at most jetties, including Kariwada in Mormugao and Malim. It is a common fact that hordes of the migrant labour force at the jetties live in testing conditions, making anchored boats and junked vehicles their homes, or adjusting in make-shift dingy rooms, and in the absence of adequate toilets in those areas, defecating in the open. We are talking about a labour force running into thousands.
The government appears to have finally awakened to the grim reality of these jetties after the Cutbona crisis. The CM has gone all guns blazing against the boat operators, and as part of the action, Director of Fisheries Shamila Monteiro who had long stints in the department has been shunted out. However, not a word has been spoken about the failures of others, including Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, who should have been involved hands-on overseeing the situation. How could everyone turn a blind eye to such blatant violations at jetty points, especially the minister?
This not only raises serious questions about the authorities overlooking systems but also raises serious questions about Halarnkar's role as a minister who should be cracking the whip against such violations. The minister should have cracked the whip on boat operators in August when the season kicked off. His silence is not only deafening but raises suspicion.
Yes, the boat owners are largely responsible for the environment at the jetty, but authorities and departments are also to be blamed. The fisheries department is the custodian of all jetties in the State, and it is the supreme responsibility of this department to ensure that protocols and operating procedures are complied with. In this case, there has been a complete failure, and transferring Monteiro alone cannot settle the issue. Sawant must hold Halarnkar responsible and immediately divest him of the fisheries portfolio.
The Cavelossim panchayat has on last Thursday issued notice to two fish units at Mobor, the Velim panchayat has asked the Fisheries Department for data on fishing vessels licensed and the workforce deployed, FDA has collected water samples from Cutbona jetty, but why are authorities moving only after the deaths and the cholera outbreak? Where were they when Cutbona was turning into a ticking time bomb?
Ministers, officials, local bodies and boat owners must understand that residents could face the consequences of such systemic failures. They must be alive to situations that are spiralling out of limits. CM’s action is welcome, but he must also seek accountability from the fisheries department.
