Minister for fisheries, ports and inland water transport Mankal S Vaidya said that the support of central government is essential to find a permanent solution to the problem of sea erosion that affects 320km seashore in Karnataka.
The minister, who visited various places on the coast in Udupi district on Sunday, said that fishermen in Goa, Karnataka and Kerala have been facing difficulties due to the issue of sea erosion. “When a solution is found in one stretch, the issue crops up in another stretch. A permanent solution needs to be chalked out to prevent damages caused by sea erosion. Hence, we have been sending teams to all affected areas to conduct studies. We need support from the central government to find a permanent solution for sea erosion. It will not be possible for the state government alone to find a permanent solution for the menace,” the minister said.
However, he added that the state government will also implement projects to prevent damages. “Any measure taken up to prevent sea erosion should be foolproof,” he said.
“Fishermen here are anxious even though their boats are anchored,” the minister said after interacting with fishermen leaders.
“They are worried about the high tide and they are not in a position to go home as they have to protect their boats. Shifting their boats from the jetty will require money to the tune of lakhs of rupees. I visited various places along with officials of the port and fisheries departments. All necessary measures will be taken to help fishermen,” he said, adding that the government will always be with the poor and fishermen. K Jayaprakash Hegde, chairman of Karnataka State Permanent Backward Classes, was present