The renovation work on the Valiyathura pier, one of the preferred evening spots of the city crowd, is progressing, but the Ports Department is now on the look out for a company which can take up the complicated work of strengthening the pier. The department had in September called for Expression of Interest for the strengthening works and have now extended the dates. The dilapidated pier, which extends to a length of 214 metres into the sea, has been closed many times in the recent past due to safety concerns. Currently, we are working on providing handrails across the full length of the bridge and also some concreting work on the top of the pier. The work is expected to finish in three months. The whole project costs Rs.1.04 crore, says Anil Kumar, Executive Engineer of the Harbour Engineering Department at Vizhinjam, which is overseeing the work. According to officials here, the strengthening work is not easy to execute and so not many companies might be ready to take it up. The works include replacing of the beams that have fallen off and strengthening of the weaker parts of the structure. For this, methods like guniting are used, in which a mixture of cement and sand are sprayed on to the structure under high pressure. The previous strengthening work, taken up more than a decade ago, was done by a firm from Tamil Nadu. Currently, there is administrative sanction of Rs.2 crore for the strengthening works. Once a major port Valiyathura became one of the major ports of the South in the 1950s, and has been used extensively for the transport of cargo until it fell into disuse by the 1980s. Currently, it is used for angling and for launching catamarans during rough weather by the local fishermen. Along with the development of the Vizhinjam port, the government can think about developing Valiyathura as a mini port, considering its ideal location. Auxiliary facilities can be added for fish landing like auction halls, mending yard, and market space to help with the livelihood of the local fishing community too. The unused warehouses can even be used for marine biodiversity museums, says Tony Oliver, former Valiyathura councillor and president of the Trivandrum Kambavala Matsyathozhilali Federation.
2016, The Hindu