The proposed National Institute of Water Sports being set up at Caranzalem Bay, 3 km from here, is facing opposition from fishermen in the area as, according to them, “it will affect traditional fishing in the vicinity and fishing ground.”
The Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) — organisation of fishermen headed by former Goa Tourism Minister Matanhy Saldana — has expressed shock over the proposal in a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat recently.
Mr. Saldanha told The Hindu here on Monday that “GRE feels that Goa has suffered for blindly accepting whatever the Union government offered.”
“GRE and the fishermen of Caranzalem oppose the setting up of the National Institute of Water Sports at Caranzalem Bay as it will trample upon our right to traditional livelihood, besides violating the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification,” said the memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister.
Urging the government to reject the Centre's offer, the GRE has reminded the government that excessive human activity will disturb the ecology and environment of Caranzalem Bay.
Secondly, Caranzalem Bay is rich in fish resources and it is located near the mouth of the river , Mandovi. It is also mentioned that a marina for yachts is proposed at the National Institute of Water Sports. The building of a marina for yachts is going to disrupt fishing activities. As it is, the narrow river course of the Mandovi is full of vessels.
