Gangolli Fisheries Harbour will be Developed at Cost of Rs 22 crore – Minister Mankal S. Vaidya
Kundapur: Minister for Fisheries, Ports and Inland Water Transport, Mankal S. Vaidya said on Sunday that the fisheries harbour at Gangolli will be developed at Rs 22 crore.
Speaking after handing over the sanction letters for compensation to fishermen whose boats were gutted in a fire at Gangolli port on November 13 last year, the Minister said that when the funds are invested the basic facilities at the Gangolli port will get a facelift. The bids to take up the project, also comprising the construction of sheds for fishermen, will be invited soon.
The Minister said that when the Union government decided to stop supplying its quota of subsidised kerosene to 8,200 traditional boats in the three coastal districts in Karnataka, the State government purchased kerosene for fishermen, but the Centre imposed a GST of 18% on the purchase. Hence the price touched Rs 90 per litre. In that, the State government provides a subsidy of Rs 35 per litre. The Union government has advised traditional fishermen to replace kerosene-operated engines with LPG. Fishermen need time to go for the change.
The Minister handed over the sanction letters for Rs 10 lakh each to eight boat owners whose boats were fully gutted in Gangolli in November last year. A boat owner whose boat was partially damaged in the fire mishap received a sanction letter for Rs 5 lakh. Along with this, fishermen who suffered losses to their fish nets also received sanction letters for compensation.
Later speaking to presspersons, the Minister said that he launched Karnataka’s artificial reefs project to facilitate marine fish breeding at Belke in Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada on Saturday.
Artificial reefs are concrete structures set on the seabed to enhance the growth of marine flora and fauna simulating natural settings to promote fish aggregation.
They attract migrant populations for breeding and feeding options and provide a base for the propagation of the resident population within the sheltered structures. They are submerged or partially exposed to tides placed deliberately on the seabed to mimic some functions of a natural reef, including protection, regeneration, concentration and enhancing the population of living marine resources. They serve as habitats that function as part of the natural ecosystem.
The Minister said that those conical-shaped concrete structures (artificial reefs) will be placed at 56 identified locations along the Karnataka coast at an estimated cost of Rs 17.36 crore. Of the locations, 25 are in Uttara Kannada.
The locations have been identified using technology, as such locations had rock-like structures earlier helping fish breeding. They disappeared due to various reasons including silt accumulation.
The project has yielded results in some other coastal states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Minister said.
