After months of wait, the renovated Koyilandy fishing harbour in Kozhikode district will be thrown open to fishers on October 1. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the completed project through videoconferencing.
The harbour now has improved amenities for safe anchoring of fishing boats. It includes a big hall for auctioning of daily catch, canteen service, comfort stations, spacious parking area, compound wall and entrance gate. Two long breakwaters too have been completed in the area for safe operations.
Koyilandy MLA K. Dasan said the development fund sanctioned by both the Union and State governments had been spent for the project. “We have been working for the completion of this project for over 10 years. Responding to the fishers’ plea, it was in 2007 that the work was formally launched,” he said.
So far, about ₹68 crore has been allocated for the completion of various development works at the harbour. Some of the major remaining works include the construction of a sewerage treatment plant and the coastal road. Within a few months, Matsyafed will open its fuel bunks in the area for fishing boats.
The reclamation of the required extent of land for the auction hall and canteen was the main hurdle for the timely completion of the work. Local fishermen too opposed the reclamation using soil mined from the harbour area.
With the delay in completion, the project estimate was revised multiple times since the sanctioning of the work. The project was approved by the Union government as it was expected to benefit about 50,000 people, including fishers, boat owners and allied workers in the district.
