Traditional fishermen operating at Goa’s lone wholesale fish market at Margao has on Thursday insisted that the changes brought about in and around the market should be maintained even post-conference of Foreign Ministers by according preference to the local fishermen.
While the fishermen claimed that the shutting down of the wholesale fish market at 6 am without giving them any notice has affected their business activity for the last three days, they, however, has welcomed the cleanliness drive at the market and no parking enforced on the wholesale fish market road.
Fatorda Police station in-charge, PI Ditendra Naik, however, assured the fishermen that they can continue with the fishing activity till 9 am on Friday since the VVIPS are presently holed up inside the Taj Exotica resort, Benaulim attending the conference.
A group of traditional fishermen led by Vinay Tari descended at the wholesale fish market on Thursday to welcome the cleanliness drive and also to expressed their concern for not intimating the fishermen before shutting down the market at 6 am in the morning.
They, however, hastened to welcome the changes brought about in the market, especially the no parking enforced by the police all along the wholesale fish market. “The road was entire used for parking by the fish laden trucks importing fish from outside the state. Due to this, the traditional fishermen were left high and dry with no space for parking”, he said.
He added: “You go to any other wholesale fish market across the country and the traditional fishermen will receive the priority to sell the fish. But, here in Margao, the fish traders importing fish from outside the states get the priority in terms of selling fish and for parking”.
Tari and other fishermen demanded that the police continue to enforce the no parking drive against fish laden trucks along the wholesale fish market.
Welcoming the cleanliness drive undertaken by the authorities at the market in view of the conference of Foreign Ministers, Tari, however, made a plea to the authorities to ensure the market remains clean and hygienic even post-conference.
Saying that the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) building the new wholesale fish market has not yet explained the new fish market concept to the traditional fishermen and the local boat owners, Tari asserted that the market should accord priority for the traditional fishermen in the market in the scheme of things. “We have been told that the new wholesale fish market has provision for cold storage facility. We only hope that the facility is not intended for the fish coming from outside the state. The traditional fishermen would have been happy if the facility was provided at the fish landing points”, he added.
