Minister for Environment, Ecology, Ports and Inland Water Transport J. Krishna Palemar said here on Monday that the State Cabinet had approved the setting up of the Karnataka Maritime Board for overall development of ports in the State.
The proposal would soon be sent to Union Government for approval, he said.
In an informal chat with presspersons after attending a function organised by the Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy at the Town Hall here, the Minister said that one of the four Additional Chief Secretaries in the State would be appointed as the chairperson of the board.
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The Principal Secretaries of the departments of Public Works, Infrastructure Development, Environment and Forest would be members of the board, among others.
The board would help simplify the procedures involved in sanctioning development projects of ports, including dredging, he said.
To a question, the Minister said that the Government was contemplating awarding the dredging of Karwar port to the Dredging Corporation of India. Ships at Karwar port could not load goods to their full capacity due to accumulation of silt, he said.
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Master plan
The Minister said that the revised master plan for Mangalore local planning area was expected to be approved in the next two weeks. A committee would look into the objections received for the plan before issuing the final notification.
Konkani culture
Earlier, inaugurating various competitions for children organised by the academy, the Minister said that parents whose mother tongue was Konkani should ensure that their children did not drift away from the language. Death of a language meant the death of a culture, he said.
The Government had sanctioned Rs. 45 lakh to the Konkani academy this year for its various activities, Mr. Palemar said.