Fishermen hope to seize on GMR's plans

MANGALORE: A little tact from the state government can help solve a long-standing demand of fishermen of the region to dredge the old port in general and the estuary mouth leading into the port in particular.
Presenting it with the opportunity is a move by GMR Energy Ltd, which has drawn out plans to shift its barge mounted power plant at Tannirbhavi, some 7.5-km from the old port, to Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh in January 2010.
GMR, according to Vasudev Boloor, general secretary, Coastal Karnataka Fishermen Action Committee has to dredge a distance of 7.5-km from Tannirbahvi to the estuary mouth to move the barge out into the Arabian Sea. Boloor told TOI that he has reliably learnt that the company has set aside around Rs 25 crore for the project. "What we are asking the government to do is to involve the local fishermen in this endeavour," he said.
The spin-off for the government on the company's move, which is expected to dredge up to a depth of three metres, Boloor said, would be to ask them to do so up to five metres. This would solve the problem faced by the local fishermen who constantly have to battle the low draught in the estuary mouth as well as inside the harbour. The company is planning to dredge on the seaward side of the harbour to move its barge out, he said.
The committee presented a memorandum to deputy commissioner V Ponnuraj citing this and four other demands recently. Boloor said the DC and the Mangalore City South MLA N Yogish Bhat have promised to involve local fishermen in this project as it stands to benefit the fishermen. The local fishermen have the requisite knowledge on the areas that need to be dredged and this information will be beneficial to all concerned, he noted.
The department of ports had recently asked a Mumbai-based firm to dredge the old port and efforts of the firm had left local fishermen a disgruntled lot. Naveen Bangera, secretary of Karnataka Purse Seine Meenugarara Sangha, says the dredging has left the bottom of the harbour channel in an undulating state.
Boloor reimphasing the need to increase the draught levels inside the harbour and the estuary mouth warned that fishermen will not allow the barge to be shifted if their demand was not met.
The present draught levels in these areas even after the recent round of dredging is less than five metres, he said. Bangera had pointed out that the readings on echo sounder of areas dredged had shown depths ranging up to three metres.