The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Expedite development of fishing harbour at Thengapattinam: AIADMK

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Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Expedite development of fishing harbour at Thengapattinam: AIADMK

P.S. Suresh Kumar

It will conduct agitations if the Government fails to speed up project: former Health Minister

Nagercoil: The district unit of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has urged the Government to expedite development of fishing harbour at Thengapattinam.

Speaking to The Hindu, the former Health Minister, N.Thalavai Sundaram, said that during the then AIADMKregime, the Director of Fisheries had stated that there was a need to develop a fishing harbour along the West Coast of Tamil Nadu to create safe landing and berthing facilities for mechanised fishing vessels operating from Kanyakumari district.

In the absence of this infrastructure, fishermen were facing a lot of problems.

Keeping this view, the Director of Fisheries had initiated a project for construction of a fishing harbour.

Moreover the Director, Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for Fishery (CICE), Bangalore, finalised the estimate for this project at Rs. 29.10 crores and recommended it to the Centre.

The Director of CICE had evaluated the techno-economic feasibility report for construction of the fishing harbour. The work was expected to be completed within four years.

The Director of Fisheries informed the State Government that the project would be implemented at a total cost of Rs. 30.33 crores (Rs. 29.10 crores plus 5 per cent cost escalation at Rs. 1.23 crores) and to be implemented under the Centrally-sponsored scheme on 50:50 sharing basis between the Centre and State governments. Adequate amount had been allotted for the implementation of the project.

The AIADMK Government (2005-06) after a careful examination accepted the proposal of Fisheries Department.

Sanction was accorded to incur an expenditure of Rs. 272.75 lakh during the year 2005-06. The then Collector had submitted his recommendation to Commissioner of Land Administration for the transfer of required Government land for the project.

But unfortunately two years have lapsed after publishing G.O. no action has been taken for implementation of the project.

The AIADMK would conduct a series of agitation if the DMK Government failed to speed up the implementation of the project, said the former Health Minister.

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