Netravati Waterfront ‘Promenade’ Project is Hurting Lives of Common People – Stakeholders
Mangaluru: The Owners of four boatyards and a fishnet producer have sought relief from the government for vacating the port land, taken on lease, between the Netravati railway bridge and the Bolar Sea Face for the ongoing waterfront promenade project of Mangaluru Smart City Limited. Addressing the media personnel, Athaulla Rehman, the president of the newly formed Citizen Forum for Justice and owner of a boat yard in Mulihithlu said, “Port Department has recently issued a notice asking me to vacate the portion of the port land through which my boat yard can be accessed”. Yet another owner of Bawa Boat Yard, Sheikh Abdullah, said he too has been served notice to vacate the portland.
“More than 100 workers are working in my yard. I have taken a loan for running the yard. Vacating the land is nothing but closing the yard. I recently paid Rs 1.13 lakh as lease amount to the Port Department and the period of lease is till March 2024. More than 100 skilled and unskilled workers are employed in my yard. The future of the boat yards in the area and labourers working therein are at stake. The government should suitably provide compensation to boat yard operators,” Abdullah said.
Suraj from SK Fish Net firm in Lewell Bolar said he too has received a notice to vacate the land. “My unit has been running for over 10 years. The government should give compensation,” he added. Ian Lobo, owning a factory in that area has filed an original suit questioning the Port Department’s action to take away the land leased to the factory, said a Mangaluru Civil Court granted status quo on the issue on October 9, 2023.
“Notices have been issued to a total of 19 persons, including our Factory. We have legally replied that no action can be taken against us till the finalisation of the suit. Apart from the suit filed by him, three more persons have filed suit questioning the Port Department’s action. In all, four suits have been filed in which the State government is Respondent No. 1, while the Port Officer and Managing Director of Mangaluru Smart City Limited are Respondent No. 2 and 3. All four suits are pending before the 2nd Additional Civil Judge and JMFC Court, Mangaluru.
Meanwhile, MSCL has filed an interim application under Order 7 Rule 11 (a) and (d) of the Code of Civil Procedure in all four suits seeking dismissal of cases. The court is presently hearing the application. MSCL has proposed to develop the waterfront as an active recreational and commercial area”.
Ms Anitha Mathias-Owner, Highland Tile Factory, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru raised her voice saying that she fully supports the project which will cater to the needs of a certain portion of the community for their leisure and health-related activities, but the said area along the stretch of the river waterfront is not a good idea and suitable for such a recreational project, where during heavy monsoon water overflows into banks, and takes back soil/etc along with it, which is dangerous and life-threatening to people. “Planning a project in such a hazardous location without knowing the true facts of the safety of the people is foolishness and an unplanned decision taken by the concerned authorities, which should re-do research and come out with better plans and a more suitable area when such a huge amount of taxpayers money is spent,” added Ms Mathias.
It should also be noted that the Mangalore Roof Tile name is synonymous and is known all over the World. However, various challenges have plagued the industry, leading to a significant decline in the number of operational factories. Recently, many tile factories have rented out their premises for boat building yards as the Government of India has encouraged fishing activities through Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and PMMSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana). This has now become one of the big industries in this region giving employment to lots of people. This boat-building yard requires a lot of substantial riverside land and access to the river for its operations.
No doubt the ongoing Netravati Riverfront Promenade project of Mangaluru Smart City Ltd, with an allocated budget of Rs 70 crores for a mere 2.1 kilometers, is unscientific and negatively impacts the livelihoods and operations of boat building and fishing enterprises. Due to the Adverse Impact of the Project, boat-building yards and fish net-making establishments, which have obtained financial loans from MSME, PMSSY, and other financial sources for the establishment of their facilities, are currently facing the possibility of closure due to the construction of a wall like structure along the riverside, which will result in cutting off the access to the river.
Moreover, the MSCL project is posing a threat of eviction to the boat building yards, fishnet making, and other establishments in the area leading to a reduction in the number of boatyard repairers and negatively impacting the local fishing industry in Mangaluru. This potential closure would also lead to significant unemployment among thousands of skilled workers with minimal or no formal education, many of whom are beneficiaries of below-poverty line (BPL) schemes. The unemployment due to boatyard closure might affect the livelihoods of these workers for an extended period, potentially up to a year.
The members present during the press meet were -Athaullah Rehman- Owner, City Yard Boat Builders, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru; Suraj Kumar- Owner, SK Fishnet Makers, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru; Shaik Abdulla-Owner, Grace Boatyard, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru; Denzil Fernandez-Owner, Rebello Tile Factory, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru; Ms Anitha Mathias-Owner, Highland Tile Factory, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru; I.D.Lobo-Partner, Cascia Tile Factory, Morgans Gate, Mangaluru; and Munna-Writer, KM Boatyard, Mulihithlu, Mangaluru.
