The proposal to relocate the fishing harbour from the city to Moolakuddu near Bheemunipatnam has evoked strong condemnation from the Federation of Indian Fishery Industries (FIFI).
At the annual general body meeting held here recently, a resolution was adopted opposing the revival of the proposal by the Visakhapatnam Port Trust. It said the new site would become another flop project like Bhavanapadu as it was not technically viable. The meeting was also attended by Visakhapatnam Mechanised Boat Operators’ Welfare Association president P.C. Appa Rao and Dolphin Boat Operators’ Welfare Association president Ch. Satyanarayana Murthy.
The resolution stated that the proposed site was close to the area where river Gosthani joined the sea. The area was totally silted and the draft was not ideal for fishing.
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“Even small mechanised boats cannot enter the proposed fishing harbour for want of sufficient draft. Added to this, the proposed site is situated on the open coast and exposed to very heavy breaking of waves close to the shore. Hence, shore protection structure is to be artificially constructed, which is very expensive and not viable technically and economically,” the resolution stated.
The project, if implemented, would need continuous dredging like in Hooghly involving a huge expenditure, FIFI president Y.G.K. Murti said. Meanwhile, several boat owners said the existing fishing harbour was a natural harbour and one of the best in Asia with sufficient draft for fishing crafts for easy and comfortable navigation, irrespective of the tidal variations. Besides this, the Dolphin’s Nose is protecting the fishing harbour from all the cyclones.