Arson attack on canoes, second in month

Colva: Two canoes were set on fire in the wee hours of Sunday on Vaddy beach at Benaulim. The arsonists are yet to be identified.
This is not a stray attack, Colva police officials said, as a similar case was reported on February 14 in which one canoe was gutted while another was partially damaged in fire.
Police officials said that upon receiving information at around 3.15am on Sunday, they reached the crime scene to take stock of the situation.
The officials said that the canoes, which were docked on the shore, could be assessed from the vast open coastline and both attacks occurred between midnight and 3am.
Sources said that most of the CCTV cameras installed either by shack operators or by the Dhristi life-savers agency face the sea, while canoes are beached towards the land, hence the footage is grainy.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas visited the site and demanded that the investigation be completed with urgency and culprits be brought to book. He also urged the government to change the current insurance policy to make it affordable for traditional fishermen.
As for police, they said they have started an investigation but at the moment the members of the fisher community are tight-lipped, not wanting to talk about matters such as rivalry between the owners of canoes.