It would have helped traditional fishermen get better rate for their catch
The renovated Goa’s lone wholesale fish market at Margao.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
Finally, renovation of Goa’s lone wholesale fish market into a modern market is nearing completion. The Goa State Infrastructure Development Agency (GSIDC) seemed racing against time to complete work on the ambitious project before year end.
A visit to the wholesale fish market on Sunday saw hectic activity in and around the two imposing buildings-cum-fish loading platforms built in the complex, with workers busy giving final touches to the balance work. In an apparent bid to create the right environment that the market complex is playing host to fish business, the buildings are being painted in blue and decorated with drawings of fish.
What, however, sounds fishy is the absence of the cold storage facility in the renovated wholesale fish market complex. Take note, the cold storage facility has been the main component of the centrally-funded wholesale fish market project and executed by the Fisheries department on the wholesale fish market land owned by the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA).
The cold storage facility was planned and proposed in the renovation of the wholesale fish market project primarily for the benefit of the Goan fishermen, including the traditional fishermen and boat owners to stack their surplus fish so that they get a reasonable rate for their produce.
Inquiries by The Goan have revealed that Block A of the wholesale fish market project consists of a number of facilities, including FDA inspection laboratory, cold storage unit, ice flaking machine et al. Surprisingly, work on the cold storage unit is yet to commence till date in the market complex till date. When The Goan called up GSIDC officials to shed light on the fate of the cold storage unit, a senior official reminded that the GSIDC is just an implementing agency, executing the project for the Fisheries department. The official, however, hastened to remind that the central government has funded the Goa wholesale fish market renovation project just because the project contained the main item of cold storage unit in the market complex.
Setting up of a cold storage unit in the wholesale fish market has been hanging fire over the last couple of months. In fact, GSIDC officials had repeatedly asked the SGPDA to hand over the balance land at the wholesale fish market to execute the cold storage project, but in vain. “The SGPDA has maintained it has no alternate land to effect temporary shifting of the wholesale fish market to facilitate the construction of the cold storage unit. Left with no option, we have decided to complete the project, minus the cold storage unit”, the GSIDC official informed.
He added: “The stage has now come for the commissioning of the renovated market project. It is purely for the government to take a call on the cold storage unit. If the government and SGPDA are keen on having the cold storage unit, they should hand over the balance land to execute the cold storage unit project”.
Loss for Goan
fishermen (subhead)
While fears are raised in certain quarters that the Central government will raise queries in the audit if the cold storage unit is not set up in the wholesale fish market, sources say the absence of the cold storage unit will cause loss to Goan fishermen, including traditional fishermen and boat owners.
For, in times of a glut of fish in the market, local fishermen dispose of the fish catch at cheap rates to the wholesale fish agents since fish is a highly perishable commodity.
A cold storage unit would have facilitated the fishermen to store the fish in the facility and sell the fish the next day or some other time like the fish traders selling fish in insulated containers.
“Absence of cold storage will not impact the fish traders, bringing fish from across the state borders or from the jetties for sale. For, they have invested in insulated vessels which help them to store fish”, sources informed.
Sources added: “Many a time, local fishermen are forced to dispose of their produce at cheap rates to big time agents or transport the fish back home. A cold storage unit in the wholesale fish market would have given the traditional fishermen a better rate for their catch”.
