Stakeholders have demanded dredging at the wharf at the Beypore harbour where sand accumulation has made it difficult for boats to anchor.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Tourism Minister and local MLA P.A. Mohamed Riyas on Monday announced a slew of projects in the Beypore constituency, especially for the welfare of the fishing community and development of fishing harbours.
The first is a project to set up a sewage treatment plant at the Beypore harbour. A meeting chaired by the Minister on the day decided to rope in the Beypore Harbour Management Society (HMS), Kozhikode Corporation, and the Suchitwa Mission to implement the plan, for which a memorandum of understanding will be signed soon.
The appointment of sanitation workers comes under the purview of the HMS. The meeting discussed various ways in which the HMS could source an income to fund it, such as levying a fee for water supply to the boats, fee for vehicle parking at the harbour for more than a day and a registration fee from net repairers.
In addition to the STP, a drainage network is being set up at the harbour at a cost of ₹26.6 lakh. The Minister directed the Department of Harbour Engineering to complete the project by the end of October this year.
Demands were raised at the meeting for dredging at the wharf where sand accumulation has made it difficult for boats to anchor. It was also demanded that all fish auctioneers be registered and identity cards be issued to them.
At another meeting on the day, the Minister announced nine developmental projects at Chaliyam. The projects come under the ₹7-crore Model Fishing Village project at Chaliyam which received administrative sanction recently.
The first is a project to set up fish vending stalls in fishing containers, equipped with modern freezers and display racks at the Chaliyam fish landing zone, for which ₹47 lakh has been earmarked. Four containers at the cost of ₹9 lakh each will be set up there. The workers will also be provided four scooters to facilitate online sales.
The next project is a ₹250.93-crore Fisheries Training-cum-Rehabilitation Centre at Kappalangadi in Kadalundi. Yet another is a ₹84-lakh project to help women form self-help groups for fish vending. An outboard motor repair centre at a cost of ₹29 lakh near the fish landing centre, 50 e-scooters equipped with ice boxes for fishers, distribution of iceboxes to 100 people in the fishing village, and a project to prevent sea erosion (coastal bio shielding) are the other initiatives.
The construction of an artificial embankment 10 to 15 metres away from the shore for traditional fishermen to carry out angling are the other projects.
Besides, there are plans to set up additional parking spaces at Chaliyam and the breakwater for which ₹106.70 lakh has been earmarked. The Minister said a nodal officer would be appointed for the development of the model fishing village.
