Move to relocate fishing harbour leaves boat operators red-faced

Fishing harbour was built in 1976 at a cost of Rs. 4.26 crore. The boat operators contend that as the site is close to the river mouth of Gosthani, which joins the sea, it will need dredging continuously due to heavy silting.

The revival of proposal to relocate the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour has left the boat and trawler operators fuming.

Faced with repeated requests by Ministry of Defence to shift the harbour due to security threat and heavy congestion in the inner and outer harbours, the Visakhaaptnam Port, which takes care of maintenance of fishing harbour, has been toying with the idea to relocate it for several years.

The port is in need of additional area to augment its facilities. The port has however repeatedly clarified that only after taking the stakeholders into confidence they would go ahead with their plan to shift it.

The fishing harbour was built at a cost of Rs.4.26 crore with the support of Ministry of Agriculture in 1976 in an area of 24 hectares. It is home to hundreds of mechanised boats and trawlers.

Feasibility study

A Delhi-based firm has already conducted a feasibility study on construction of Greenfield satellite port and fishing harbour at Mulakedu near 17 century township of Bhimunipatnam. The port has 172 acres including two km. waterfront area, which it got in lieu of land surrendered by it to the Revenue Department for expansion of runway of INS Dega airport.

Though the report is stated to have expressed doubts over ensuring cargo that is required to make it viable in view of an investment of Rs.2,000 required for project, the issue hogged the limelight recently with Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao and port Chairman M.T. Krishna Babu holding a meeting to revive it. The meeting resolved to conduct fresh studies, a senior official of Fisheries Department told The Hindu .

The boat operators contend that as the site is close to the river mouth of Gosthani, which joins the sea, it will need dredging continuously due to heavy silting. “It will become another Bhavanapadu as navigating into the entrance channel will be a Herculean task. The existing harbour has a natural draft and protection from cyclones and tsunamis due to close proximity to Dolphin’s Nose,” said leaders of boat operators Ch. Satyanarayana Murthy and P.Ch. Appa Rao.