VELIM: Cutbona jetty witnessed tension, on Monday morning, with the two factions – Cutbona Boat Owners Association and purse seine boat owners clashing once again over the auctioning of fish.
Tension between the two factions was later defused by the Deputy Collector, South Goa, who asked the boat owners to fall in line or else the government could seal the jetty if there is a law and order problem.
Trouble broke out on Monday morning after the group of purse seine boat owners asked the other boat owners that no unloading would be carried out at the jetty, however, auctioning of fish continued as normal on the northern side of the jetty as two trawlers continued unloading the catch. Soon the police personnel were deployed at the jetty, and fish from the two trawlers was unloaded.
The Deputy Collector Ajit Panchwadkar rushed to the jetty as the stand-off between the two factions continued with the association initiating process to recover dues, owed to its member, by blocking the auctioning of the fish being carried out by one of the purse seine boat owners.
The Deputy Collector sending a strong message across asked both the factions to iron out their differences and fall in line, if not the district administration will have no option but to seal the jetty if there is a law and order situation.
He also reprimanded the association for taking law into its hands and asked it to compensate the boat owners whose fish was not auctioned.
Later, speaking to reporters, Panchwadkar said that the factions have agreed to resolve the issues and assured that there would be no law and order problem at the jetty.
He said that they would be meeting in the next couple of days and resolve all their problems.