Saurashtra fishermen in troubled waters

More then 20,000 Saurashtra fishermen are facing rough weather due to arbitrary implementation of the new fisheries act and uncooperative attitude of the Gujarat fisheries department.

Various fishing associations of the Veraval, Porbandar and Okha coast have expressed serious opposition to contentious issues of smart card and distribution of tax-free diesel.

According the new fisheries act smart card has been made necessary for every fisherman, on the other hand the state fishery department has stopped issuing those cards, said sources at the Okha port.

The sources said, the fishery department had started issuing smart cards a year earlier but now they are not in a position to issue the cards.

Previously, the Customs department was issuing identity cards to the fishermen as a valid document for fishing. Following the new legislation, the Customs department has stopped issuing identity cards leaving the fishermen in a limbo.

The customs department has started recovering identity cards issued by them to the fishermen. They have started insisting on the new smart cards for fishing.

With the fishing season on now, the owners of fishing boats have started making serious efforts to get smart cards. But the fishermen are unable to get those smart card in time. This could have a serious implication for the fishing industry in the region.

Porbandar, an important fishing harbour in the region, is facing a different set of problems. This is regarding the distribution of tax-free diesel and lack of adequate infrastructure facilities, says Jivanbhai Jungi, president of Porbandar Fishing Boats Association.

He says that the fishery department's uncooperative attitude in allotting diesel cards to the fishing cooperative diesel outlets has become a big hurdle for fishing activities.

The Porbandar Fishermen Association has made a representation to the minister for fisheries Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, requesting the government to either setup enough government diesel outlets or continue with the older system for diesel distribution, because in the present condition the fisherman is forced to take diesel from the government outlet instead of the cooperatives of which he is a member and this deprives him of the credit facility which he was earlier availing from the cooperatives.

In addition to this, fishermen must get diesel from where his boat is berthed, but according to present order he has to go miles away for fuel, says Jivanbhai.

This adds difficulties to the problem-prone fishing community.

Harilal Masani, president of the Dry Fish Suppliers Association, Porbandar, said that the facility for fishing activities are not sufficient at Porbandar, the most important fishing harbor of Saurashtra.

He said the road connecting the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) dry dock is narrow and not motorable, even babool (a local shrub) growth is also hazardous. The fish drying area which is three kms away from the city has no lighting facility, even the boat grounding area is covered with babool leaving little space for boats. As many as 5,000 men and women live in 250-300 kuchha houses, with almost no proper hygiene facility available here.

Kisanbhai Varidum, president of the Akhil Gujarat Machhimar Mahamandal (AGMM), said, certain viable amendments in the new fisheries act were suggested by various state fishery associations and the state government had given assurance about acting on those suggestions, but those hopes were sadly belied. The fishery department by adopting a hostile attitude has added to the problem.

Varidum said the local fishery department officials have issued notices for fishermen to obtain fishing license and boat registration within a week, and have threatened to stop diesel allotment in the initial stage and other benefits later. He said that a meeting on the amendments to the new fisheries act at the state level is yet to be convened.