NT Reporter
Margao
The district administration has initiated legal measures against abandoned fishing vessels crowding the Cutbona jetty and sought police intervention to identify and book the owners of such trawlers.
The issue has remained unresolved since 2021, when the Fisheries Department first served notices to trawler owners directing them to remove abandoned vessels and fishing nets from the jetty. Subsequently, the government warned of stern action against defaulters following the death of five labourers due to a cholera outbreak in 2024.
In a fresh notification, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM-II) Laxmikant Desai issued an official memorandum on May 15 directing Cuncolim police to trace the ownership details of the abandoned vessels within 48 hours in coordination with the Fisheries Department.
The direction follows a recent inspection at the jetty which found several abandoned and anchored boats lying in a dilapidated condition surrounded by wooden scrap and discarded fishing nets.
Authorities stated that the unattended structures were causing serious obstruction to daily jetty operations. Officials also warned of possible oil spills and chemical leaks into the river, while stagnant water inside broken hulls were flagged as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, raising fears of dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
To deter owners from dumping old boats at the jetty, the department had earlier increased the penalty for defaulting vessel owners to Rs 1 lakh.
Authorities stated that failure of boat owners to comply with the ongoing ownership verification
process would allow the government to initiate immediate seizure and disposal operations under public nuisance provisions of the BNSS.
Former environment minister Aleixo Sequeira had taken a tough stand on the issue in 2024, refusing to grant extensions to trawler owners and directing immediate clearance of the facility.
Despite repeated warnings, the abandoned trawlers continue to remain at the site.
