Fisheries dept demolishes sheds

Kundapur: Temporary sheds of fishermen in the fisheries port area at Gangolli were demolished under the orders of assistant director of fisheries department on Monday May 14.

As a result fish vendors, in protest have decided by suspending fish vending inside Gangolli fisheries port indefinitely.

8 years ago, fish vendors constructed temporary sheds inside Gangolli fishing port area for safekeeping of fish boxes and other equipment. Fisheries department apparently had intimated several notices to these fishermen to get rid of the sheds as they were located in an area which was supposed to be a parking lot. But the fish vendors did not pay heed to them.

It is reported that the department also issued several final notices to remove these sheds. When the fishermen paid no heed and the sheds continued to remain where they were, the department came with a backhoe and demolished the shed on Monday.

The fishing port leased out the area measuring 50 square meters each to 12 fish vendors to carry on trade near the parking area for a year in 2010.The permission given to set up temporary sheds was not renewed and the director of fisheries department asked the fish vendors to remove the sheds. The vendors did not respond to the notice. The department then, with the approval of senior officers got rid of the temporary sheds.

Assistant director in the department, Anjana Devi, clearly stated that the fish vendors had been served with multiple notices to remove the sheds, and were also promised with alternative land. But the fish vendors did not comply to instructions.

The fishermen expressed their distress at the sudden demolition of their sheds. They stated that they had agreed to construct sheds in the alternate site which the fisheries assistant director had promised them.

”At the meeting held on May 11, the concerned were requested to give a week’s time for removal of the sheds. But backhoe was hired and the sheds were demolished on Monday evening when no one was around,” they said.

The vendors say that boxes used for storing fish, scales, and other possessions inside these sheds had been destroyed during the demolition. Sheds belonging to Netaji Fisheries, IPL, Unity, SMB, CSF etc had been demolished.

The vendors questioned the department on why they didn’t mind the KFDC diesel bunk which is built in parking area when they were driven out saying they cannot function in a land designated to be parking.

They demanded that the department should reimburse the loss suffered by the fishermen, and that the destroyed sheds should be reconstructed. They warned that they will continue to protest till justice is served.

The vendors stated that the department hadn’t actually provided them with the promised alternative land till now. They said that reconstruction of the shed could not be undertaken during the last some months because of fish famine and shortage of labor. They demanded that senior officials of fisheries department visit the site and give them concrete promise. President of Gangolli Fresh Fish Merchants

Association, Mohan Kharvi, warned that if their demands are not met, their agitation will be intensified further.

Gangolli station police sub-inspector, Madhu T S, was present.