Fishermen of Nambiar Nagar in Nagapattinam district are contributing a whopping ₹11.43 crore towards construction of a mini fishing harbour in their village. This, they hope will help bring to an end a long time enmity with their neighbours Akkaraipettai and also improve their livelihood.
The facility, to be constructed at a cost of ₹34.30 crore under Namakku Naame scheme (self sufficiency scheme), would allow 66 mechanised and 252 fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats to be safely anchored. S. Kumar, president, Nambiar Nagar Fishermen Cooperative Society, said that they were unable to use the Akkaraipettai harbour due to various reasons.
“We have been asking for a fishing harbour. We already have a landing centre, so the government agreed to grant funds for dredging, construction of wharf and other facilities. We spoke with people and all families decided to give ₹1 lakh each towards the construction. Of the 1,200 families, 200 paid in cash and those who could not pay, took loans from a bank through the village panchayat. We will collect 2% to 4% of the sale proceeds and repay the loan,” said Mr. Kumar.
Sources in the Fisheries Department said that the State government has sanctioned ₹22.86 crore under the scheme for the year 2018-19. “About 5,000 fisherfolk will benefit from the fishing harbour. The residents have already mobilised ₹5.70 crore and kept it in a bank account. The detailed project report has been approved by the Department of Ocean Engineering of IIT Madras,” an official said.
Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that the government will develop the natural fishing harbour with funds given by the Rural Development Department. “Tenders have been floated for the project. It is nice to see fishermen coming together. They are setting an example for the entire State. The government welcomes more local communities to come together for infrastructure projects,” Mr. Jayakumar said.
