Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jan 15: Malpe Fishermen's Association has said there is a strong suspicion that the Tebma Shipyard land near Malpe fisheries port has been allotted to Cochin Shipyard. The association asked the government to change its decision if this information is right and warned of resorting to agitational path if the government sticks to its decision.

President of the association, Krishna Suvarna, spoke to reporters here on Thursday January 14. He noted that Tebma Shipyard had begun operations at Malpe in the year 2000 and the land was given on a 30 years lease. As there was pressure to convert Malpe into an all weather port, the fishermen, about a decade back, had demanded to cut down the lease period to 15 years and earmark the said land for the port expansion and development. The plea was made in the presence of the then chief minister, B S Yediyurappa, and MLA, K Raghupathi Bhat. Later, the lease was cut down and Tebma's lease will end in 2023, he stated.

"Tebma suspended its operations four years back. Now we are hearing that there is a proposal to hand over the land to Cochin Shipyard under the central government. We demand that the land, which is about three acres, should be reserved for port development and it should not be given to private or government concerns. If the government does not respond to this demand positively, we will resort to large scale agitation," he warned.

Assocation leaders, Vittal Karkera, Ramesh Kotian, Nagaraj Kunder and treasurer, Shivanand, were present.