Automated Translation:
Rupali Pethkar : Sakaal news serviceMumbai, Wed 10th Dec 2008

Sea Link pushes Worli Koliwada to starvation

Dissatisfaction among fishermen: Conflict due to lack of space for boats in the sea

Mumbai: Due to the Worli-Bandra sea link, the fishermen of Worli are on the brink of starvation as there is no way to take their boats to the sea. Therefore, their situation has become like ‘gravel to eat and boulders to sleep on'.

55 boats go to sea for fishing on behalf of Worli Fishermen’s Association. The employment of around five thousand people such as women fishmongers, sailors and women picking and drying fish depends on these boats. But since there is no place left to go to the sea due to Bandra-Worli sea link', the time has come for women fishermen to go to Colaba every day to bring fish, while the men are now sitting idle because they find themselves tied down by the law.

As the fishing business in Worli port has almost stopped due to the sea bridge, the women who sell fish in Worli Koliwada have to bring fish from Colaba to run their homes. But since the ​​fish in Colaba comes from a big trawler, it is four to five days stale. One has to walk around for an hour early in the morning, bid and get it. It costs Rs 150 per day to bring it to Worli. It costs them a lot to sell this fish. If the fish is wasted because it is stale, it amounts to a big financial loss. The women said that after all this hard work, they earn only 30 rupees and only then can they afford to feed their families. Due to such a situation, many women have to mortgage their jewelry and have to take up the work of washing dishes. Even doing so much does not contribute enough to the household expenses.

On the other hand, to prevent any kind of agitation, there is a delay in serving notice of ban on the boat owners. Deepak Patil said, ‘The question is what to do in such a situation. We have repeatedly requested the concerned to leave only enough space between the two pillars of the bridge so that the fishing boat can be taken into the sea. There was also a promise to accept our demand. But in reality. 180 policemen were deployed to keep a watch on us.

Patil also said ‘We have no money because the fishing has stopped, and there are no jobs due to lack of education’.Considering the direction of the water and the weight of the boat, Deepak Patil said that there is only 150 feet of space between the two pillars 9 and 10 of the Bandra Worli Sea Link project. In fact, only 77 feet of space has been given to them, and the space is useless as there is a 30-foot base under the pillars. Patil also said that there is a higher chance of the fishermen's boats hitting and breaking.