Mangaluru: The Dakshina Kannada District Congress Fishermen’s Cell has urged the Karnataka government to take permanent measures to address long-pending dredging and infrastructure issues faced by the fishing community in Mangaluru and other coastal areas.

At a press conference held at the Congress Bhavan in Mallikatte on Monday, District Congress Fishermen’s Cell president Chetan Bengre thanked Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and the state government for approving several fisheries-related projects and addressing key demands of the fishing community.

Bengre said the chief minister’s recent visit to the Mangaluru fishing harbour and his interaction with fishermen had generated renewed hope among the community that several long-standing issues would receive attention.

The demands come in the wake of the Karnataka Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru on September 18, during which several fisheries-related works were approved for the coastal region.

Fisheries projects approved

According to Bengre, the government has approved Rs 20 crore for fisheries-linked roads and other infrastructure works. The package includes a jetty at Kotepura for traditional fishing boats, a berthing basin at Bengre, dredging-related works and the installation of navigation buoys.

He said Rs 8 crore had been sanctioned for country boats at Kotepura, while Rs 6 crore was approved for a boat dock at Kasaba Bengre. Another Rs 1 crore has been sanctioned for navigation light buoys.

Bengre also welcomed the decision to establish a modern wholesale fish market at Ekkur, describing it as an important step towards improving facilities connected with the fishing trade.

The fishermen’s cell also pointed to the recent sanction of Rs 5 crore for dredging near the sea mouth. Bengre said the measure was particularly significant as fishermen had reported several accidents in the area, with navigation difficulties posing a safety concern for boats entering and leaving the harbour.

Demand for cutter suction dredger

Dredging, however, remains one of the major concerns raised by the fishermen’s cell.

Bengre said the Netravati, Phalguni and sea-mouth areas have faced persistent siltation problems and claimed that proper dredging had not been carried out for nearly 25 years.

“Small-scale dredging is carried out whenever funds are sanctioned, but it does not provide a permanent solution. We need a cutter suction dredger,” he said.

Explaining the demand, Bengre said conventional arm dredgers may leave portions of silt untouched while carrying out dredging operations. As a result, the channel can fill up again within a relatively short period.

He argued that a cutter suction dredger would allow more continuous removal of accumulated material and could potentially be deployed at different locations along the Karnataka coast depending on requirements.

The fishermen’s cell also referred to an earlier allocation of around Rs 29 crore under the Sagarmala scheme for dredging intended to facilitate vessel movement. Bengre said the work had reportedly remained pending for several years as agencies had not come forward to undertake it.

Instead of relying entirely on private contractors, he suggested that the state government consider procuring its own dredger and deploying it for maintenance dredging at different locations along the coastline.

Such an arrangement, he said, could provide the government with greater flexibility in responding to recurring siltation and navigation issues.

Mangaluru needs more berthing space

The shortage of berthing and docking facilities was another major issue highlighted during the press conference.

Bengre said Mangaluru has around 4,000 fishing boats belonging to different categories, while the existing harbour infrastructure is not sufficient to accommodate the fleet adequately.

He proposed developing additional docking and berthing facilities at several locations, including Jeppinamogaru, Kotepura, Hoige Bazaar, Kudroli, Bokkapatna, Tannirbhavi and areas extending up to Kulur.

According to him, expansion of fishing infrastructure would help reduce pressure on existing harbour facilities while providing fishermen with safer and more organised spaces for berthing their boats.

He also suggested that suitable port land could be utilised for expanding fishing-related infrastructure. Dredged sand, where technically and environmentally suitable, could be appropriately used to create additional space for boat parking, boat-building yards, fish sheds and fish-cutting facilities.

Bengre said the removal and proper utilisation of accumulated sand could serve multiple purposes, including improving water depth and addressing navigation difficulties around the harbour.

Fishermen welcome minister’s intervention

The Fishermen’s Cell also expressed appreciation for the state Fisheries and district in-charge minister for regularly meeting members of the fishing community, visiting the harbour and reviewing their demands.

Bengre said the minister had assured fishermen that the Fisheries Department and other concerned authorities would examine the proposals and take them up with the chief minister with the objective of finding permanent solutions.

The fishermen’s cell said the recent Cabinet decisions, coupled with the chief minister’s direct interaction with fishermen, had raised expectations regarding the modernisation of Mangaluru’s fishing infrastructure.

The demands now include not only immediate dredging measures but also long-term solutions for navigation, berthing capacity, fish-market infrastructure and facilities for traditional fishing communities.

The press conference was attended by district secretary Ravishree and members Navneeth Kera, Sarala Kanchen, Kumar, Kavitha Vasu and Pravitha.