Fishermen of Jumbie Bay, Marabella, are calling on Government to install lights at the fishing jetty after three boats and five engines, valued over $300,000, were stolen. Search teams patrolled the western coast yesterday but up to midday two of the boats were found. Rajesh Pulchan said his boat, named Magic Four, as well as two other pirogues–David and Naomi–owned by Reena Ali, were stolen sometime between 8 pm Wednesday to 6 am yesterday. Pulchan said David had two 75-horsepower Yamaha engines, while Magic Four had two 40-horsepower Yamaha engines. Naomi had one 175-horsepower engine.
The engines were stolen from the boats. Pulchan said the boat was his only source of income. "I have a four-year-old son to take care of. Right now I cannot work because I don't have a boat. It would cost me $18,000 to buy another engine and I don't have that kind of money," Pulchan said. He said it was not the first time boats and engines were stolen from Jumbie Bay. The fisherman said he was uncertain who took the engines and boats. Meanwhile, fisherman Dhanraj Goocharan said Government must install proper lights at the jetty.
He said: "Right now we have some lights in the shed but we don't have any lights out by the area where the boats are moored. We need a proper storage area for our engines." Robert Rodney and a team, who went out in search of the boats, said they needed assistance from the T&T Coast Guard to find the engines. "We have been searching all morning. We searched the Couva River, by Fedchem, and throughout the western coasts but we have not found them," Rodney said. Councillor for Marabella West Gloria Calliste said the fishermen's concerns were legitimate. She said last year several boats and engines were stolen from Jumbie Bay. Calliste said she planned to make representation to address the fishermen's concerns.