MARGAO: Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) warmly welcomed Antony Kurieunkal, a traditional fisherman from Kerala, who embarked on a cycling journey from Alappuzha on April 3. Antony's mission is to raise awareness about ocean conservation and protect coastal communities.
Antony, who is also the District Secretary of the Kerala Swatantra Matsyathozhilali Federation (KSMT), interacted with GRE members when he arrived at Cansaulim. He was welcomed by Camilo Souza, the Vice President of GRE.
KSMT also known as the Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation, is a trade union of small-scale artisanal fishers of the state of Kerala in South India.
Olencio Simoes, the General Secretary of GRE, explained that Antony plans to continue his journey up to Gujarat with the sole objective of spreading awareness about conserving the ocean and its resources, protecting coastal lives, and demanding a Coastal Rights Act to safeguard the interests of traditional coastal dwellers.
Simoes stated that Antony's determination to educate and protect the coast for future generations will make him a role model for all fishermen.
GRE members and Antony appealed to the government to halt all Sagarmala port expansion plans, which are likely to destroy the coast, environment, and livelihoods of crores of fishermen in India.
It may be recalled that GRE, along with various unions in the state and the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF), have been fighting for similar issues concerning ocean conservation and the protection of coastal communities for years. They have also been in consultation with like-minded fishermen associations from different parts of the country to ensure that their common issues and concerns are addressed.
GRE and NFF had even submitted a memorandum to the Union Fisheries Minister, Parshottam Rupala, covering issues affecting the state and fishermen across the country.
One of the pan-India demands was to have a Fisher's Rights Act, akin to the Acts that offer protection to Adivasis, and a policy to be framed at the national and state levels, similar to the agriculture policy and textile policy, to safeguard the interests of the traditional fishermen community.
Another major environmental concern they raised in detail was the devastating impact of oil spillages, not only on the sea and shore but also on various marine species. They have emphasized the need for strong legislation to be introduced in the country to stop oil spillages, as such occurrences are currently happening regularly without any action being taken against those responsible.