Row over construction at Shakthikulangara harbour

Harbour Engineering Department’s determination to resume operation of a long-stalled task astatine the Shakthikulangara sportfishing harbour has drawn fierce absorption from the All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association, which alleges that the task is unscientific, marred by corruption, and constitutes a cardinal misplacement of priorities astatine the engaged sportfishing facility. According to the association, funds, sanctioned by NABARD for projects intended to payment the fisheries sector, are being misused. “Highest fig of sportfishing boats successful the State run from this harbour. But the section is focusing connected non-essential structures similar the depository and hallway portion neglecting captious needs, specified arsenic providing capable berthing facilities and indispensable infrastructure for operators,” says Peter Mathias, president of the association.

The vessel owners besides constituent retired that the country present allocated for the depository and hallway operation is captious abstraction that should beryllium reserved solely for indispensable harbour-related activities. According to them since the harbour is unfastened to the sea, lone 250 m of the wharf tin beryllium utilized efficaciously without terrible disturbance from waves. They besides explicit their concerns implicit the information of the project, which is reportedly being fast-tracked connected a warfare footing to forestall the lapsing of funds. They assertion the alloy reinforcement bars that were erected agelong agone are present successful a rusted condition, presenting a large structural information contented that authorities are dangerously choosing to ignore.

“Furthermore, the harbour is failing its users owed to terrible neglect of existing infrastructure. An crystal plant, constructed astir 3 years ago, remains non-operational, and for months, septage discarded has been leaking from the adjacent toilet block, issues the authorities person consistently failed to address. We volition beryllium approaching the tribunal and filing a ceremonial ailment with the vigilance section to halt the unscientific operation and analyse the alleged corruption, vowing to guarantee improvement funds are channeled towards genuine infrastructural needs of the sportfishing community,” they said.

In response, officials from Harbour Engineering Department clarified that a catastrophe absorption centre is being built arsenic portion of the task and the hold was owed to the contractor stopping the enactment and refusing to resume it. “It was conceived arsenic a 3 storey gathering with facilities to enactment fishers. But present it volition beryllium a azygous storey gathering and we are trying to decorativeness arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable earlier January. It’s a task for fishers and we don’t cognize wherefore the vessel owners are opposing it,” said the official.