The State government has accorded sanction for construction of a mini fishing harbour at Antervedipallipalem in East Godavari district at a cost of Rs.22.38 crore. The project is being constructed under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with State and Central government funds. The Fisheries Department will allocate funds from Fisheries Development Scheme and Fish Policy. The mini harbour would be completed by October next year, said Commissioner of Fisheries Rama Shankar Naik. Fishing harbour, also known as Fish Land Centre, will have the facility to halt mechanised boats, storage and auctioning the produce. The Executive Engineer, Godavari Head Works of Dowleswaram, will execute the works. A jetty will be constructed at the mini fishing harbour. It will benefit fishermen in East and West Godavari districts, said Mr. Shankar Naik. More in the offing The Fisheries Department has identified Juvvaladinne in Nellore district, Vodarevu in Prakasam, Uppada and Biyyapu Tippa villages in East Godavari and Pudimadaka in Visakhapatnam districts for constructing mini harbours. Fish Land Centres would also be constructed on the coast in Srikakulam, Guntur and Krishna districts, he said. We have sent a proposal to the Government of India for constructing a harbour at Biyyapu Tippa in 25 acres, which was given to the Fisheries Department. The Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam and Krishnapatnam harbours will be developed in a phased manner, he said. Following the proposals, the Centre has entrusted Water and Power Consultancy Services Limited (WAPCOS) to take up investigation and prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Wapcos will study on the economic impact assessment, engineering, soil testing, technical feasibility and the estimations of the mini harbours in the State, the Commissioner told The Hindu . The theme of constructing the projects is to improve infrastructure thereby helping the fishermen community for hygienic handling of fish, storage and marketing their produce. As there were no fishing harbours in Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam and Krishnapatnam, fishermen are finding it difficult to catch fish and many are migrating. There is a potential for fishing and boost the exports from Andhra Pradesh. Like other States, we are planning to set up hatcheries, processing, packing and export units in all coastal districts, which will improve the livelihood of fishermen, Mr. Shankar Naik said.
2016, The Hindu