KARACHI, June 23: Fifty-seven members of the Fishermen Cooperative Society have requisitioned a special general meeting (SGM) of the society to discuss vital issues pertaining to Karachi Fish Harbour.
The crisis began to emerge when on May 24 a civilian minister took over the charge of the fisheries sector from a retired naval commodore.
The requisition letter signed by 57 bonafide fishermen and submitted by Haji Mohammad Yunis to the chairman has raised various issues.
The issues include an outstanding dispute over rent charges on port facilities and raising the number of elected directors to nine instead of seven.
The members have also challenged the validity of elections held on May 24 which were in conflict with a by-law of the society. Under the by-law the board had been elected two years back and the vice chairman was to continue for one more year.
Moreover, the members said, since the office of the chairman had fallen vacant, the board should have stated unequivocally that the newly elected chairman would only serve for the remaining period of his tenure (one year) and not for a new three-year term.
They also objected to the nominations of four directors from the fisheries department to the FCS’s board of directors by the Sindh government.
Previously, the provincial government nominated directors from various departments. The members were of the view that the Sindh government had nominated four directors from the fisheries department in order to obtain an unfair advantage in the election for the chairman and vice chairman of the board of directors.
They said it was the duty of the chairman to summon an SGM within a month of the requisition as required under the by-law.
LEGAL NOTICE: Meanwhile a legal notice was also issued to the chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society by Abdul Hafiz Pirzada on behalf of 57 members of the society.
It questioned the legality of the May 24 meeting in which Manzoor Husain Panwar, Minister for Livestock and Fisheries was elected as chairman of the society.
In the meeting, the notice said, elected vice chairman of the society Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamote was unlawfully removed and Abu Zar was elected as new vice chairman.
TANK BOAT: Provincial Minister for Livestock and Fisheries and Chairman Fisheries Cooperative Society (FCS) Sardar Manzoor Ali Panhwar has said that the fishermen are deprived of basic necessities of life and efforts are being made to alleviate their suffering, adds PPI.
He was talking to fishermen while paying a visit to Shamspir island here on Sunday as part of his weekly visits to fishermen’s settlements.
The minister announced that the government would provide a tank-boat of 2,000 gallons for drinking water for the fishermen and a grant of Rs50,000 for the construction of a mosque.
Vice Chairman FCS Abu Zar Madiwala said that they were visiting each and every village with a view to get first hand knowledge of fishermen’s problems.
The representatives of fishermen Haji Yousuf Lala and Zulfikar Ali Laasi also addressed the gathering.
