NT NETWORK
MARGAO
The residents of Arossim along with their MLA and Minister for Science and Technology Alina Saldanha, on Wednesday, met the District Collector and asked him the reasons for the delay in removing the pontoon ‘Bhageerath’ that is grounded at the Arossim beach.
“The District Collector Swapnil Naik informed us that the delay has been caused over the crane arrival. A huge crane of 200 plus tonne capacity is being brought from Mumbai to pull the pontoon to the shore. It cannot be moved through the busy roads during the day time. The crane will reach the site on Friday, and once it reaches, the first thing that would be done is that the pontoon would be pulled to the shore,” the Minister stated while speaking to the media after meeting the District Collector.
She said that the District Collector has promised to visit the Arossim site, where the preparatory works are on, on Friday.
Saldanha said that the grounded pontoon is posing a serious threat to the coast, and the locals are agitated over it.
When asked whether she is happy with the inquiry being carried out in the alleged incident of lathicharge on the fishermen in Panaji, the Minister said that nobody has informed her about it so far.
“But I can vouch for three to four fishermen. I saw their injuries. Since I was not the witness, I cannot depose before the inquiry officer,” she added.
However interestingly, when she was asked again the same question whether she would depose before the inquiry officer, she said well…
The Minister is of the opinion that this is the right time for the fishermen to ask for the implementation of the Act.
“They (fishermen) should insist on a copy of the amendment, to convince themselves about the changes done in the rules. It is very clear that the no lights should be used in any form for fishing,” she stressed expressing solidarity with the traditional fishermen, whom all these years, her husband and former minister late Matanhy Saldanha supported.
When pointed out that the Chief Minister had denied that lathicharge incident ever took place, Saldanha reacted stating that the Chief Minister might have been mis-informed about it.
She added that her husband stood by the traditional fishermen and when he felt that power was needed to fulfil the demands of these fishermen, he joined politics, not before that.