John Wilbert, Ganeshan & Vikramaditya
Baratang, April 06: The fishing community of Baratang Island has been demanding a separate fishing jetty at Khadi Basti of Oralkatcha village, along with other facilities, for a long time now. The lack of a fishing jetty has been causing problems for the fishermen, who have to anchor their boats or dinghies near the seashore, risking their lives in the shallow bay, especially at night when there is high tide and also there is a constant threat of Crocodile attack.
Recently, a group of residents of the area comprising representatives of fishermen met with the Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Keshav Chander (IAS), and highlighted the issues faced by the fishing community of Baratang area. They demanded a fishing jetty to be constructed in Khadi Basti to avoid unwanted incidents in the future.
“When we go out of our houses for fishing, we have to go through the shallows of the bay, especially at night when there is high tide. Thus, we are afraid of risking our lives as in the past we have witnessed crocodile attacks in this area. Therefore, we request the authorities to provide atleast a floating jetty in Khadi Basti, where most of the fishermen families are settled,” Mr. CH Raja Rao, Secretary of the Fishermen Cooperation Society of Baratang told Andaman Sheekha Daily.
Former Up-Adhyaksh Zilla Parishad of the North and Middle Andaman District, Mr. Alager Swamy, stated that the administration and the Fisheries Department had been requested several times to construct a fishing jetty in Baratang Island to address the fishermen’s problems. He highlighted that the lack of a fishing jetty forced the fishermen to berth their fishing boats or dinghies near the seashore.
Whe Andaman Sheekha contacted a senior officer of the Fisheries Department, he confirmed that the fishing jetty was a long-pending demand of the Baratang fishermen. He said that the Department has already proposed the construction of a fishing jetty to higher officials, and the matter has been taken up.
