With the finalisation of blueprint, the National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR) will launch construction work on its dream project — the first oceanographic lab on the East Coast — on the Beach Road here sometime in January.
“The New Year will usher in good luck to us as our dream project will finally take off,” NIO Visakhapatnam Regional Centre Chief Scientist V.S.N. Murty told The Hindu .
The project, which was caught in a controversy following complaints over the site being located in the CRZ that prohibits any construction activity, finally got the clearance from the MoEF in December 2013. Incidentally, NIO specialises in doing pioneering work in protection of coastal areas and offering CRZ consultancy for various organisations, including VUDA.
Later, when all the bottlenecks had been cleared, the denial of access road to two bits of sites measuring 3.25 acres opposite Kartika Vanam due to encroachments by an educational institute and a hotel caused further delay.
The timely intervention of MP K. Haribabu and District Collector N. Yuvaraj has now paved the way for launching the construction work.
Union Minister for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary, who laid the foundation stone for the project seven months ago, had directed the NIO to complete it in a record time. BSNL has been appointed consultant for the project.
The project cost is estimated at Rs.20 crore. The unique feature of the R&D lab complex is that it will have a 250-metre-long underground pipeline to draw water from the sea for studies on marine biological characteristics and activity.
“We are happy that our project will be completed within two years so that we can move to our own premises to take up various projects, including study of hydrocarbons in the KG basin, Bay of Bengal, coastal pollution, and climate change,” Dr. Murty said.
