The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Government’s apathy: Central aid gets lapsed

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Saturday, Aug 23, 2008
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Kerala - Kochi

Government’s apathy: Central aid gets lapsed

K. P.M. Basheer

Scheme for upgrading three fish-landing centres

KOCHI: The State government’s lack of interest and initiative has led to the lapsing of Central aid for upgrading the Sakthikulangara, Beypore and Puthiappa fish-landing centres.

The lack of interest was said to be due to the conditionality that the funds should be effectively and transparently utilised by a society of stakeholders.

The Union Commerce Ministry had, as part of its efforts to boost competitiveness of Indian exports, formulated a fish-landing centre upgradation scheme with a view to improving the hygiene standards of the centres.

This was in the background of many Indian fish exports failing to meet international hygiene standards and thus not getting their due prices.

Experts had found that the unhygienic conditions at the landing centres had contributed to the contamination of fish - bacteria, diesel and even heavy metal remnants had been found in some fish.

The scheme aimed at removing the unhygienic environment by providing clean and spacious platforms, bird-proofing netting (so that bird droppings on the fish on the platform could be prevented), sufficient parking area for boats, uncontaminated water for pre-processing, space for fuelling boats so that diesel would not get mixed with fish, and other amenities.

MPEDA role

The MPEDA (Marine Products Export Development Authority) was the funding conduit and the Harbour Engineering Department was to have carried out the work.

However, sources said the Fisheries Department did not show any interest in the scheme and, after repeated efforts to persuade the department to make use of the scheme, the MPEDA returned the aid to the Centre.

The scheme had insisted that a society of stakeholders, like fish workers, boat owners and officials of the fisheries and harbour engineering departments be set up to decide on the amenities needed to be set up at each landing centre and also award work contracts.

It also wanted the societies to make use of the earnings exclusively for the maintenance of the facility. The society was to ensure that the award of contracts and other financial dealings were transparent and proper maintenance would be carried out regularly.

However, sources said, the stakeholders’ society was not acceptable to the Fisheries Department and, as a result, the funds got lapsed.

Rs.10-crore aid

Sources said that other fishing States had accepted the conditionality. The renovated Munambam landing centre had effectively put this to use. The three landing centres could have together obtained about Rs.10 crore for their upgradation. If found fairly successful, the scheme could have been extended to other fish landing centres too.

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