The Hindu
- Government will build two breakwaters of Rs. 20 crore each at Ullal: Palemar
- Rs. 288 crore to be spent for development of Karwar port
- Harbour development project is estimated to cost Rs. 100 crore
Mangalore, Oct 4: Ten fishing harbours in the Karantaka coast will be developed under public-private partnership (PPP), according to Minister for Ports and Inland Water Transport J. Krishna Palemar.
The district in-charge Minister said, after inaugurating the Rs. 82-lakh new Port and Shipping Office here on Friday, that the ports would be managed by private parties by creating good infrastructure and maintaining them.
The Minister said that people should not be worried about the proposed privatisation. It did not mean the department was selling away the fishing harbours. It only meant better facilities for the poor fishermen to trade and transport fish. The trade would increase several folds. The entrepreneurs had been short-listed for development of Karwar port. Director of Ports and Fishing Mohan Rao Rajaghatta later revealed that the Karwar port development project was worth Rs. 288 crore. Mr. Palemar said that the development of ports was expected to cost Rs. 100 crore. Of this, the Union Government would bear 50 per cent, he said and added that the State would release the funds after the Centre released its share. The Government would invest Rs. 20 crore each to develop the northern and southern breakwaters at Ullal, he said without specifying any timeframe for implementing the proposal.
Palemar said a 150-m long new cargo wharf was being constructed at the Old Port at a cost of Rs. 6 crore. The Government had approved Rs. 1.85-crore worth dredging work and Rs. 1.05-crore work for prevention of sea erosion. The Government had released Rs. 2.3 crore for the development of the Old Port in 2007-08, he said.
Mangalore South MLA N. Yogish Bhat said that fishermen were worrying that the Mangalore port had not been developed as an all-weather port. There were times when they could not venture into the sea for several days, particularly when the tides were high. The new office inaugurated on Friday is located at Gurupur river estuary. The Rs. 83.22-lakh cost of the new facility has been borne by the department.