The fishing harbour ‘reconstructed’ at a cost of ₹113.90 crore at Mookaiyur near Sayalkudi will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on March 4.
He would inaugurate the harbour, constructed by the Fishing Harbour and Engineering division by unveiling a plaque in Chennai. The harbour was being decked up for the inauguration. “We have completed all the major works and after removing a small section of rocky stretch in the mouth area the harbour would be ready for handling vessels later this month,” officials said.
The harbour would help decongest the Rameswaram fishing jetty and shift a section of mechanised boat fishermen, who were fishing in the Palk Bay and facing problems in the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy when they crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
At least 250 mechanised boats would be shifted from Rameswaram fishing jetty. The harbour would have facilities to accommodate 100 local country boats. It would have facilities to berth vessels being readied for deep sea fishing.
The harbour constructed based on the design and Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by IIT-Madras would have a host of facilities such as auction hall, net mending shed, rest shed, administration office, fish drying yard, rest room and radio communication tower.
Major components such as western training wall (370 m), eastern training wall (300 m), rubble mounded stone wall (418.5 m) and diaphragm wall (535 m) have been completed in advance. The project was launched in March, 2017 with 24 month project period and the completion of work was well within the time. The project was funded by the State and Central governments on 50:50 basis, they added.
