Kozhikode: Koyilandy municipality in Kozhikode district will become the first civic body in the State to manufacture salt for its own use, if a pilot project envisaged within its coastal region takes off in the near future.

The District Planning Council had given the green signal for the project, Koyilandy municipal chairman K. Dasan told The Hindu here on Wednesday.

The pilot project would be implemented in a 43-cent plot in Cherikuni on Kollam-Koolam beach. Seawater would be used for manufacturing salt by the conventional method. The project had been drawn up in consultation with historian M.R. Raghava Warrier, he said.

This innovative project is going to be a model for the State. The project at Cherikuni would be on an experimental basis. Its total cost would come around Rs.50,000. Any expansion would be thought of depending on its success, Mr. Dasan said.

"The salt manufactured from the region will be primarily used for agricultural needs and for drying fishes for the residents of the municipality. No plans have been so far made for manufacturing idolized salt," he said.

Salt manufacturing had been done in these belts even before the British period in the State. Apart from fishing, it was also the livelihood of a majority of people residing in the coastal belts. The profit from manufacturing salt, in fact, was believed to be the major revenue of local chieftains and landlords in the 19th Century. However, the activities began to cease when the East India Company prohibited local people from manufacturing salt in1841. This had led to wide spread protests in the country. Over the years, national leaders and freedom fighters spearheaded the agitation.

Mr. Dasan said that salt manufacturing was possible without any big investment at any coastal place having sufficient seawater and sunlight.

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