KARACHI, July 19: A plan for recovery of dues amounting to millions of rupees outstanding against mole-holders (commission agents) would be one of the issues to be discussed by the board of directors of the Fishermen Cooperative Society on Thursday. It would be the board’s first meeting to be chaired by the new FCS chairman Faqir Jadam Mangrio, Adviser to the CM on Fisheries and Livestock.

According to fisheries resources, the other major item on the meeting’s agenda is the EU inspection of the Karachi Fish Harbour. The board will discuss matters pertaining to the hygiene and standards maintained at the harbour for seafood products keeping in view the visit by a European Union team due here later this month.

The sources pointed out that the FCS was currently faced with serious financial constraints due to the non-payment of dues by mole-holders. The situation had aggravated over the past two years owing to a sharp reduction in its revenue receipts, falling fish catch and bungling in the auction halls transactions.

The growing administrative costs have also contributed to its worsening financial position, mainly on account of salaries as a few officers were getting perks no less than those of an executive of a multinational firm.

The previous administration had tried to bring about an improvement in the situation, but it failed due to its non-representative character as it could not resist the pressures from the strong ‘market mafia’, controlling the fish business in connivance with certain FCS functionaries.

The mole-holders have always held owners of processing units responsible for the unpaid FCS dues maintaining that the delay in payments on the part of these units was ultimately resulting in default by mole-holders.

The board of directors will also review the progress of work on the government’s action plan for improvement in conditions at the harbour.