8,500 fishermen in Goa but only 474 ID cards

8,500 fishermen in Goa but only 474 ID cards
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: In yet another example of the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards maritime security, the Goa government has issued identity cards to only 474 of the approximately 8,500 fishermen operating in the state. The drive to issue ID cards had started in April 2007.
Acting director of fisheries Nandkishore Verlekar said, “Information is being collected by the coastal police but it’s a difficult task as about 95% of the labour is from outside the state. Though information is collected and sent to the police station of their origin for verification, there is hardly any response. Due to this there has been a delay in issuing ID cards.” However, in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, the government has decided to act swiftly to secure the coasts.
Over 80 persons held in South Goa
In an intensive drive against job seekers from outside the state, the South Goa police rounded up nine Lamanis along the coastal belt and some 80 persons from different parts of Cuncolim on Wednesday. Police also undertook verification of around 150 Kashmiris engaged in trading activities. In another operation in Calangute on Tuesday night, police arrested 55 persons from the Aradiband slums. Police said that those arrested had no documents and were moving around the area in a suspicious manner. TNN P 3 Govt mulls colour code for trawlers, IDs for crew
Panaji: The Goa government is contemplating a colour code for trawlers besides bar coded identification cards for fishermen to ensure that unwanted elements don’t penetrate into the state via the sea.
“ID cards would make it easier to verify the antecedents of fishermen operating in Goa and a colour code for trawlers would help check on their movement,” said SP (North) Bosco George. There are about 815 trawlers operating in the state, with some 1,657 trawlers registered with the fisheries department.
Responsibility for verification remains with the state police, while the procedure for application and issuing of cards is managed by the fisheries department.
The police claim “lack of cooperation, illiteracy and absence of documents to prove proof of residence and incomplete or incorrect addresses” make verification difficult, leading to a consequent delay in issuing ID cards.
“We have been regularly checking those employed by
the trawlers. But trawler owners need to maintain proper records of their employees and cooperate with the police,” said DySP (coastal police) Naresh Mhamal.
“Police have been collecting details of the people employed with us, but so far we have not been issued a single ID card,” said Elvis Gomes, a trawler owner from Betul.
Added Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Cooperative Society chairman Sitakant Parab, “Hardly 25% of the fishermen have identity cards. Verification takes a long time and by that time many would have shifted to a different job or left the state. It is really difficult to issue identity cards as a majority of the workers are from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa or West Bengal and are here for short periods.”
The cards contain the photograph of the person, identification details, work profile and the association the fisherman is affiliated to. The card was meant to help patrolling agencies keep a check on activities of fishermen and to allow an alert to be raised in case of suspicious activity.

December 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition