Panaji: Boat owners in Goa have taken matters into their own hands to start the delayed fishing season. Handicapped by the lack of migrant workers — who had returned to their villages due to the pandemic — fishing boat operators have managed to bring some of their workforce back — by air.
“There is no public transport, nor do we have money to make necessary arrangements,” one of the workers, Miltal Sarkar, said. “We informed the boat owners that if they want us to come back, they will have to plan our return.”
For him and his companions, travelling by air was like a dream come true, he said.
“We are illiterate and some of us do not even speak Hindi,” said another skilled worker, Dhiraj Kumar Guru. “It’s very tough for us to go through all the documental procedure, and that is why we insisted that the boat owners do the necessary.” He has now resumed work at the Vasco jetty.
Workers from Andhra Pradesh, Chennai and West Bengal are among those that have been flown in to Goa.
Sebastian Cardozo, secretary of the All Goa Purse Seine Boat Owners Association, said that only those boat owners who can afford to bring their workers by flight are doing so. “There are workers that specialise in net-mending who must be on board while fishing,” he said.
At the Cutbona jetty, only 25% of the boats have managed to start operations, even though it has been over a month since the season has commenced.
“About 40% of the boats are operating at the Vasco jetty as the owners have managed to bring their workers from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, etc, by private buses and airlines,” said Jose Philip D’souza, president of the Goa fishing boat owner’s association.
For the plane trip, some boat owners have paid around Rs 10,500 per head. While up to Rs 7,000 has been spent on the flight ticket, Rs 1,500 has been spent on taxi fare to get them from their respective homes to the airport, and Rs 2,000 for the Covid-19 test.
Similarly, for bus transport, they have paid around Rs 8,000 per worker, of which Rs 5,000 was spent on the bus commute, Rs 1,000 for food, and Rs 2,000 for the Covid-19 test. TOI had reported on September 1 that purse seine boat owners had started to send buses from Goa to bring back migrant workers to be deployed on their fishing vessels.
Harshad Dhond, president of the all Goa fishermen’s association, sent three buses to his workers’ native place, and is expecting to start operations after the 100-odd migrants arrive.
“By mid-September, we can expect at least 50% of the workers to arrive at the Malim jetty. However, this is only with boat owners who can afford to pay for the commute of their workers. Over 40% of the boat owners operating from Malim may not be able to do so,” Dhond said.
Despite these efforts, only 20% of the total fishing activity in the state has successfully started. Some boat owners are still struggling, and are hopeful that the government would come to their rescue.
“We have been plagued with financial problems and there is no help from the fisheries department to assist us in bringing back our workers. Many boats are therefore anchored at the jetties. The Goa government must intervene by bearing at least half the cost of transport to bring them back,” said Francis D’souza, chairman of the Mandovi fishermen marketing cooperative society.
Top officials from the fisheries department also said that the mechanised fishing sector is affected due to the lack of labour. “They have not informed the department about bringing any of their workers by flight. They have not sought any financial assistance for it either,” they said.
“There is no public transport, nor do we have money to make necessary arrangements,” one of the workers, Miltal Sarkar, said. “We informed the boat owners that if they want us to come back, they will have to plan our return.”
For him and his companions, travelling by air was like a dream come true, he said.
“We are illiterate and some of us do not even speak Hindi,” said another skilled worker, Dhiraj Kumar Guru. “It’s very tough for us to go through all the documental procedure, and that is why we insisted that the boat owners do the necessary.” He has now resumed work at the Vasco jetty.
Workers from Andhra Pradesh, Chennai and West Bengal are among those that have been flown in to Goa.
Sebastian Cardozo, secretary of the All Goa Purse Seine Boat Owners Association, said that only those boat owners who can afford to bring their workers by flight are doing so. “There are workers that specialise in net-mending who must be on board while fishing,” he said.
At the Cutbona jetty, only 25% of the boats have managed to start operations, even though it has been over a month since the season has commenced.
“About 40% of the boats are operating at the Vasco jetty as the owners have managed to bring their workers from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, etc, by private buses and airlines,” said Jose Philip D’souza, president of the Goa fishing boat owner’s association.
For the plane trip, some boat owners have paid around Rs 10,500 per head. While up to Rs 7,000 has been spent on the flight ticket, Rs 1,500 has been spent on taxi fare to get them from their respective homes to the airport, and Rs 2,000 for the Covid-19 test.
Similarly, for bus transport, they have paid around Rs 8,000 per worker, of which Rs 5,000 was spent on the bus commute, Rs 1,000 for food, and Rs 2,000 for the Covid-19 test. TOI had reported on September 1 that purse seine boat owners had started to send buses from Goa to bring back migrant workers to be deployed on their fishing vessels.
Harshad Dhond, president of the all Goa fishermen’s association, sent three buses to his workers’ native place, and is expecting to start operations after the 100-odd migrants arrive.
“By mid-September, we can expect at least 50% of the workers to arrive at the Malim jetty. However, this is only with boat owners who can afford to pay for the commute of their workers. Over 40% of the boat owners operating from Malim may not be able to do so,” Dhond said.
Despite these efforts, only 20% of the total fishing activity in the state has successfully started. Some boat owners are still struggling, and are hopeful that the government would come to their rescue.
“We have been plagued with financial problems and there is no help from the fisheries department to assist us in bringing back our workers. Many boats are therefore anchored at the jetties. The Goa government must intervene by bearing at least half the cost of transport to bring them back,” said Francis D’souza, chairman of the Mandovi fishermen marketing cooperative society.
Top officials from the fisheries department also said that the mechanised fishing sector is affected due to the lack of labour. “They have not informed the department about bringing any of their workers by flight. They have not sought any financial assistance for it either,” they said.
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