The underperforming mole holders are feeling the heat of growing influence of ‘illegal’ auctioneers’ in the fisheries businesses, as large number bona fide fishing financiers are unable to continue their operations. “There are about 45 such bona fide mole holders whom are long associated with the fishing businesses at fish harbour, many have quit or inactive because the illegal auctioneers have taken over the matters,” fisheries sources said on Tuesday.
Mole holders now have a very minimal influence in the fisheries business as scores of them have bankrupted or defaulted to investors for lack of return on the expensive catch, they said. “These mole holders are facing evacuation at the harbour, as lease of their offices are being revoked,” they said, adding that there is no other proper location at fish harbour to accommodate them at present.
Fishermen Co-operative Society (FCS) is considering exercising its powers to relocate the mole holders into a proposed three-story building at the harbour with renewal of lease, said director FCS, Asif Bhatti. He said that there was a dispute as to who has powers to lease out spaces; Karachi Fish Harbour Authority (KFHA), FCS or Sindh Government. “Today we have held a meeting with Secretary Sindh Co-operation Department to solve the matter amicably,” he said.
“Now, there is a need to solve the dispute over lease dispute amongst the stakeholders,” he underlined. He said that there were about 48 mole holders of which only 16 were continuing their businesses at the harbour and the rest were inactive because of the issues. He called for increasing the lease period from 15 years to at least 30 years.
