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Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Vacate Sassoon Dock, port authority tells fishers, traders
MUMBAI: It's well before dawn but the dock is already alive with handcart-pullers, porters, exporters – and, at the heart of it all, the Koli women. As the early catch is hauled ashore, a pungent aroma settles over the landing sites, anointing the daily ritual. Moments later, several tonnes of seafood slip into a supply chain that starts right here, at Sassoon Dock, on the city's eastern waterfront, in Colaba. Fish on sale at Sassoon dock (Hindustan Times) But the dock will fall eerily silent if the Mumbai Port Authority (MPA) follows through on its verbal ultimatum to fish traders and the fishing community – 'vacate the MPA's godowns within 15 days, or face eviction', they have been told. The threat has triggered alarm for thousands of fishermen, seafood suppliers, shopkeepers and restaurant owners who rely on the sale of fish for their livelihood, not to mention the thousands of workers who populate the supply chain, at the dock and beyond. Matters have boiled over again in a dispute that has dragged on for decades. At the core of the clash is a disagreement between the MPA and the state-run Maharashtra State Fisheries Development Corporation (MFDC) over rental payments for godowns owned by the port authority. While MFDC rents the godowns to seafood processors, the latter have allegedly defaulted on payments to the MPA over Ready Reckoner rates. The confrontation has lasted 30 years. The last serious face-off took place in 2014, when MPA had told godown users to vacate. However, a meeting with ministers in 2015 resulted in a consensus to protect the fishing industry by forming a tripartite agreement among stakeholders. Fisher groups claim that despite that meeting, no formal steps were taken over the next decade. Now, without implementing the promised agreement, the MPA is once again threatening eviction. The directive has led to a grassroots movement to 'Save Sassoon Dock'. Operators of the dock's 80-90 godowns say the move will dismantle an economic ecosystem. For each godown, at least 50 to 100 labourers are employed, rendering them jobless. Ruksana Khan, who owns Harbour Exports and supplies seafood to restaurants, says: 'I've been working here since I was very young. My entire family, including my daughter, is involved. We pay ₹ 15 lakh annually in taxes. We handle 200-300 tonnes of seafood daily. This eviction will render us jobless.' According to Krishna Pawle, president of the Shiv Bharatiya Port Sena, a federation of 14 fisher associations, a shutdown would impact a nationwide supply chain. 'This is not just about Mumbai. Seafood from Sassoon Dock is sent to Gujarat, Kerala, Alibag and beyond. Workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have been working here for decades. They will all be unemployed,' said Pawle. The dock area also supports communities such as the Banjara Samaj, who specialise in shelling prawns and fish. 'We contribute to foreign exchange earnings,' Pawle added, underlining the broader economic implications of the dock's operations. He says there is no reason the fishing community should be held responsible. 'We were given these godowns to use by the MFDC. If the MPA wants to reclaim them, they should take possession from MFDC. Why are we being dragged into this?' Vasant Bhuchade, president of the Marine Products Auctioneers Association (MPAA), points out that the godowns have been operational before independence, and some families are now in their fourth generation managing them. 'Without these processing units, the seafood supply chain will collapse, and the government will lose crucial revenue.' For now, the MPA is adamant. Despite repeated attempts, a senior official from the MPA was unavailable for comment.
Russia Today
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
African state reaches peace with separatists
Senegal's government has signed a peace agreement with the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) to end one of Africa's longest-running conflicts, state media reported on Monday. The deal, mediated by President of Guinea Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo, was finalized on Sunday after three days of negotiations between MFDC representatives and a committee from Dakar, according to Senegalese broadcaster RTS. 'We were able to participate in the conclusion of this important agreement which constitutes a very big step towards definitive peace in Casamance,' RTS quoted Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was on an official visit to Guinea-Bissau as saying. The talks, the first between the MFDC and the Senegalese authorities that have been made public since their election last March, are part of a series of efforts aimed at restoring peace in Casamance – a region in the West African nation's south plagued by a separatist rebellion for over four decades. Casamance has been the site of conflicts since 1982, driven by the separatist MFDC, which has been battling for independence due to frustrations over alleged marginalization and exploitation by the central government. The conflict, which has resulted in thousands of casualties, has continued but at a less intense level in recent years. In 2022, the Senegalese government, led by former President Macky Sall, reached a similar agreement with the group, with both parties committing to end armed clashes and establishing a permanent ceasefire. The authorities also announced a program to disarm MFDC members and reintegrate them into society. At least 250 MFDC fighters reportedly surrendered their weapons in May 2023 in Mongone, in the Ziguinchor region, where they had a major armed base. The latest agreement reached between Prime Minister Sonko, who was formerly the mayor of Ziguinchor, Casamance's capital, reportedly upholds the commitment made in the 2022 deal, which was also signed in Bissau. Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who has been in office for less than a year, declared in his end-of-year address last December that peace in Casamance is his top priority. He launched the Diomaye Plan for Casamance to facilitate the return of displaced people, the peace process, and the development of the troubled region.
