Launches owners submit memorandum to Goa MP

Goan Launch Owners will be out of business if the proposed plan of Mormugao Port Trust to ban the presently operating passenger launches which ferry passengers from big ships to the shore and vice versa,becomes a reality.

A delegation of Launch Owners under the leadership of Mr. NitinChopdekar, former Chairperson of Mormugao Municipal Council and ShriCarlos Almeida, Vice President of Mormugao Launch Owners Associationmet Mr. Shantaram Naik M.P. at his residence on Wednesday and stated that the MPT proposes to ban the existing launches in order to introduce modern launches with 12 nautical miles per hour speed.

The delegation told Mr. Naik that for ferrying passengers to and fro from the ships, speedboats with 12 nautical miles are not required,and that, even Mumbai Port Trust does not have such launches.
The delegation told Mr. Naik that journey from shore to the ships hardly takes 1 to 3 hours, and that ships are not anchored at a distance more than 8 nautical miles.

The delegation have contented that there have been no complaints from any quarter whatsoever regarding the service rendered by the present operators, and that , every year, surveys and inspections are held
with respect to their launches.

The delegation also told Mr. Naik that they have no objection forsubmitting personal details of the owners/operators of the launches such as Income Tax Documents, Pan Card Copies, Copies of Partnership Deeds, Certificates of Registration of Firms etc.

They have also no objection for submitting any particulars which are reasonably required in the interest of the security of the state, they told Mr. Naik.

Mr. Naik assured the members of the delegation that he will take up the matter with the Union Minister of Shipping Shri G.K.Vasan as also with the Chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust Shri Praveen Agarwal.