The Port Department has decided to give part of the dredging work at the Ariyankuppam River mouth on sub-contract to private players as the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) has not made any headway in removing 3 lakh cubic metres of sand.
The government decision to give a short contract to remove the silt comes after fishermen protested against lack of progress in the work. Fishermen said they found it difficult to navigate their vessels to the harbour because of the accumulation of sand at the river mouth.
The department, on February 13, invited sub-contract “for emergency dredging” at the common entrance of the Puducherry fishing harbour with outsourced dredger to make the channel navigable for fishing vessels. The plan is to excavate around 75,000 cubic metres of sand within a short period.
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The work would cost around ₹3 crore, sources said.
The DCI had started work in mid-January to remove 3 lakh cubic metres of sand and the machinery deployed by the agency was expected to remove 500 cubic metres of sand per hour in a radius of 2 km.
With almost a month into dredging, not much progress has been made in the last one month. “Most of the days, the dredger was not operated due to mechanical problem. Those who operate say the dredger is a brand new and hence the initial hiccup. Since we cannot prolong the work as it will affect fishing activity, the government has decided to sublease the work,” said a port official.
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The dredging work shot to the limelight after Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi refused to sanction work to a private player. Instead, Ms. Bedi preferred allotment to DCI, a public sector undertaking.
Social Welfare Minister M. Kandasamy, who holds the Port portfolio, had come out against the Lt. Governor for the delay in allotting the work due to Ms. Bedi’s stand on giving the work to PSU.
Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy too at a recent press conference had blamed DCI for the delay in dredging the sea mouth and had sought compensation from the agency.