The recent demarcation exercise by the Directorate of Settlement and Land Survey (DSLR) and Tourism Department to identify and remove illegal encroachments on the beaches has left the traditional fishing community of Colva worried. The fishermen fear that they would lose key facilities on the beach that are crucial to their livelihood and how their fishing business operates. The fishing community uses around 150-200 huts on the beach, which is on Tourism Department land, to store their canoes and fishing nets.
“The huts have been here before the Tourism Department acquired the land. We are ready to take the land from the Tourism Department. Maybe it can be placed under the Fisheries Department. Even former Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar had come here and ensured that our huts were protected. The Tourism Department never had any problem with us before,” said Alice Fernandes, a senior fisherwoman.
While the Directorate of Settlement and Land Survey (DSLR) and Tourism Department began their demarcation exercise to identify and remove illegal encroachments, another inspection was held last week by the District Collectorate to check if two huts were violating CRZ rules.
As per the DSLR order, the survey is aimed at preserving the land across the entire Colva Beach stretch that belongs to the Tourism Department via the subsequent removal of the encroachments. The inspection by the District Collectorate was based on complaints filed before the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
“Generations of families of fishermen have used these huts for decades now and these are not being used for any commercial activity but to assist our work as fishermen. We store our canoes and nets here, which are close to the sea. Do they expect us to take our boats to our houses,” asked Colva panch and local fisherman Domingos Rodrigues.
While the complaint with the GCZMA is against Rodrigues, who owns two huts at the beach, the local fishermen have claimed that their huts have been on the beach prior to 1991 and are thus protected under the CRZ rules.
“The rights of the traditional community along the coast should come first. Who sustained our coast before unsustainable tourism? It is our fishermen and traditional communities. Wake up Goa,” said Judith Almeida, Secretary of the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum, which has been fighting against CRZ violations in Colva. Almeida, who has backed the fishing community, pointed out the Tourism Department and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GCZMA) have been under the scanner of the courts for alleged violations at the beach front.
Given that the fishermen dry their fish near these huts and there is a foul smell emanating in the area, the concerned citizens have raised doubts if the fishermen are being targeted at the behest of hotels nearby and by those who are eyeing the beach space for commercial interests. Other activists lamented that on the other hand, there are other commercial establishments that have allegedly encroached upon Tourism Department land but have escaped any inspection or action by the department for years.