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KARACHI, Jan 6: The government will supplement all the efforts aimed at improving the economic conditions of poor fishermen.
This was stated by the Provincial Secretary, Fisheries and Livestock, Imtiaz Ali Qazi, while inaugurating the week-long cleanliness campaign at Karachi Fish Harbour on Monday morning.
Maintaining that preference should be given to economic issues, the secretary said it was the responsibility of the Fishermen Cooperative Society and the Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority to join hands to bring about an improvement in the standard of living of the fishermen.
He observed that contentious issues could amicably be settled through dialogue. In this regard, he added, he would soon meet the concerned officials to sort out the issues yet to be settled between the two organizations.
Mr Qazi held out the assurance that non-implementation of a ban on sophisticated nets would be looked into seriously. Views of concerned government agencies would be sought to ensure enforcement of the ban effectively, he added.
Regarding the deep-sea fishing, the secretary said the issue related to higher levels and as such he could not comment on it at this moment. He however, condemned as ‘extortion’ the money being collected from the fishermen of Sindh in Balochistan and said this could in no way be allowed.
He lauded the role of the KFHA and FCS in maintaining the sanitation and hygienic conditions at the harbour and creating awareness among fishermen about the importance of cleanliness. He said the efforts should continue till the complete cleaning of harbour and its adjoining areas.
Commodore Syed Tayyab Naqvi, Chairman of the KFHA and Fishermen Cooperative Society (FCS), Haji Shafi Mohammad Jamote, Vice Chairman of the FCS, and Abdul Waheed Pirzada, MD of the KFHA, were also present on the occasion.
Mr Naqvi said that it was very important to maintain cleanliness at the entire harbour, especially the export zone, and the interior of fishing boats. He recounted the sustainable efforts made recently to improve the working conditions at the harbour after the induction of Navy personnel in the Karachi Fish Harbour affairs.
As a result of the efforts by the FCS and KFHA, he said, a tremendous improvement was visible in the physical environment of the harbour. “Karachi Fish Harbour is being recognized as one of the best harbour in Asia now,” he remarked. He mentioned that the efforts were whole-heartedly supported by other government agencies, including the MFD.
WELFARE POLICY: Regard welfare policy, he said that for the first time in the country, an insurance policy for fishermen was announced, 1600 fishermen in Ibrahim Haidery were provided free training in modern fishing techniques and training scheme was now being extended to other fishermen villages.
Under the welfare scheme, 9,318 students were provided free uniforms, widows of fishermen were provided financial aid and poor fishermen given assistance in marriage expenses.
Mr Naqvi said that it was also essential to create awareness among fishermen on achieving international standards in respect of cleanliness.
Earlier, Haji Jamote urged the government to come to the rescue of the poor local fishermen and impose a strict ban on deep-sea fishing.
He also stressed the need for solving the contentious issues between the FCS and the KFHA in the interest of fishermen community.
The meeting was also addressed by Abdul Waheed Pirzada who highlighted the importance of cleanliness.
He also recalled various steps taken by the Authority for the smooth running of the harbour and said that the KFHA was presently working on the construction of a shrimp complex utilizing its own resources.
He stressed the need for efforts to improve the working conditions at the harbour and bring about a positive change in the economic condition of the fishermen community.
The opening ceremony was attended by directors and senior officials of FCS and KFHA, Navy officials, representatives of seafood industries and a large number of fishermen.
