Fisheries Minister Mankala Vaidya is expected to visit the Old Port, Bunder, by the end of this month to review the challenges faced by the fishing community. This visit follows a meeting on Monday where fishermen leaders, including Mangaluru Trawl Boat Association president Chethan Bengre, met with Assembly Speaker UT Khader, the minister, and senior officials from the fisheries, ports, and finance departments in Bengaluru.
Key issues discussed included the long-delayed expansion of the Old Port. Although Rs 49.5 crore was sanctioned for Phase 3 of the expansion in 2023, the project has been stalled in the tender process for over a year. In addition, Rs 37.5 crore allocated under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for modernizing the port has yet to be utilized due to pending approvals from the state government and Coastal Regulation Zone.
Bengre also highlighted the need for temporary docking space during the expansion and urged the transfer of a 200m section of the adjacent commercial dock for fishermen’s use. He stressed the importance of addressing dredging issues and called for the installation of CCTV systems to enhance security at the bustling harbour, which handles daily transactions exceeding Rs 100 crore.
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