Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, May 15: Under the guidance of assistant director of fisheries department at Gangolli, temporary sheds of fishermen standing in the fisheries port area at Gangolli were dismantled on Monday May 14. In protest against this action, fish vendors have decided to hold protest by suspending fish vending inside Gangolli fisheries port indefinitely.
About eight years ago, fish vendors had erected temporary sheds inside Gangolli fishing port area for safekeeping of fish boxes and other equipment. It is said that the fisheries department had served several advices, intimations and notices on these fishermen to remove the sheds as they were located in an area designated as parking lot. But the fish vendors did not pay heed to them, it is said. Reportedly, the department had also served final notices to remove these sheds. As the sheds remained where they were, the department, equipped with backhoe, came to the area and demolished the shed on Monday.
Area measuring 50 square meres each had been given on lease to 12 fish vendors to carry on trade near the parking area of fishing port in the year 2010. The land was given on lease for a year. The permission given to set up temporary sheds was not renewed thereafter and the director of fisheries department had asked the fish vendors to remove the sheds. As the vendors did not respond to the notice, he department officials, with the approval of senior officers of the department, got the temporary sheds removed. Giving clarification about the drive, assistant director in the department, Anjana Devi, stated that the fish vendors had been served with notices to remove the sheds, and also were extended promise to provide alternative land. She said that fish vendors did not do as instructed.
The fishermen however expressed their anguish at the sudden action of the department in removing their sheds. They say that they had decided to construct sheds in an alternate site the fisheries assistant director had promised to them. "At the meeting held on May 11, the concerned were requested to give a week's time for removal of the sheds. But backhoe was hired and the sheds were demolished on Monday evening when no one was around," they complained.
The fish vendors say that boxes used for storing fish, scales, and other assets inside these sheds had been destroyed in the drive. They have noted that sheds belonging to Netaji Fisheries, IPL, Unity, SMB, CSF etc had been demolished. They questioned the department as to how they allowed KFDC diesel bunk which has been built in parking area, has been allowed to operate although the fish vendors were driven out by pointing that it happens to be parking area. They demanded that the department should reimburse the loss suffered by the fishermen, and destroyed sheds should be reconstructed. They warned that they will continue to fight against the highhanded attitude of the department till the fishermen get justice.
The fish vendors pointed out that the department, which has been promising to give them alternative land, has not done so till now. They said that reconstruction of the shed could not be undertaken during the last some months because of fish famine and shortage of labour. They said that their protest will continue till senior officials of fisheries department visit the spot and give them concrete promise. President of Gangolli Fresh Fish Merchants Association, Mohan Kharvi, warned that if these demands are not met, the agitation will be intensified further.
Gangolli station police sub-inspector, Madhu T S, was present.