Work on the third and final leg of modernisation of the fishing harbour has been taken up at an estimate of Rs. 4.75 crore. The World Bank-funded project was taken up at an estimate of Rs. 19.52 crore.
It included construction of slip way, power room, winch room, and boat repair yard in the first phase at an estimate of Rs. 7.88 crore. In the second phase, a chilling plant, fish processing unit, and two sumps are under construction at an estimate of Rs. 6.89 crore.
Now, the third phase of the work had been taken up and it mainly pertains to construction of effluent treatment plant. Based on Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology, the work pertains to erection and commissioning of the ETP.
It could handle one million litres of effluent per day and is executed on Directly build, operate and transfer (DBOT) basis.
M. Chandrakasu, Minister for Agriculture, laid the foundation for the final phase of the work on the harbour campus on Wednesday. He said that the project would be completed within a year’s time.
E. Vallavan, District Collector, said the modernisation project, sanctioned under the Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project. It was implemented through the Project Implementation Agency here.
Once completed, the harbour would ensure hygienic handling of fishes for a longer duration.
P. Malathi Kalivarathan, Joint Project Director (General), Project Implementation Agency, Puducherry, said the efficiency of effluent treatment plant would be monitored during its maiden operation for a period of three months for rectifying technical defects, if any.
