Fishermen’s delegation meets Goa ministers

A delegation of fishermen leaders, led by former MLA U R Sabhapathy, met fisheries minister, food and civil Supplies minister of Goa and submitted a memorandum to withdraw the ban imposed on the sale of Karnataka fish in Goa.

Sabhapathy told media persons on Tuesday that the delegation had met minister Vinod Dattaram Palyankar and Biswajith Rane in Goa.

“We have explained the ground realities and have highlighted how fishermen use only ice and not formalin,” he said.

Sabhapathy said the delegation has requested the Goa government to revoke the ban keeping the interests of fishermen in mind. The ministers, responding to their requests, informed them that they had not banned, but had imposed restrictions on the sale of fish, he said.

They wanted fish to be transported in the insulated trucks. The fishermen find it hard to purchase the insulated trucks which cost nearly Rs 24 lakh. It will be an additional burden on the fishermen, he added.

He said that the fishes preserved using chemicals can be identified easily as the colour of the fishes changes with the help of simple tests. The ice blocks used to keep fish fresh in fact is cheap when compared to formalin, he said.

He appealed to the Goa government on sensitising police, about the restrictions, as it is not a complete ban. The police at the border are stopping trucks with fishes from the coast without understanding the situation. Initially, the ban was for six months and now it has been extended, he said.