A ₹2.40 crore project to renovate 11 iconic Chinese fishing nets that adorn the historic Fort Kochi beach has hit another roadblock, even as the annual tourism season in Kerala is set to kick in with Onam.
The fear is rife that this would result in the number of nets further dwindling on the beach, which once boasted of two dozen Chinese fishing nets.
The long-overdue project of Kerala Tourism that got the State government’s administrative sanction is caught in red tape, although KITCO, the implementing agency, had made available 220 lengthy teak logs needed for the renovation, earlier this year. The operators of four of the nets had procured 12-m-long coconut stumps and drilled them into the soil in order to support the nets, at their expense, three months ago.
Unpaid expenses
Official sources attributed the delay in executing rest of the works of the five nets and the entire renovation of the others to Kerala Tourism’s delay in clearing bills worth ₹7.50 lakh – the expense that fish operators incurred in procuring the stumps and the cost of labour.
KITCO had spent around ₹1.20 cr of Kerala Tourism funds to procure and transport the teak logs and ‘kalasanti’ wood that was stacked near the beach in 2017, while the Tourism dept. was to pay the rest of the expenses. The impending works include procurement of fishing nets for approximately ₹3 lakh, wooden planks for the platform, and food counter in each unit, apart from steel ropes and wires to tie the wooden logs together, it is learnt.
The nine-year delay has in turn given rise to the fear that the project cost might see a marginal increase, which could be made up for by sourcing CSR funds.
While admitting that there was delay on the part of agencies, including the State government in renovating the nets, official sources said that the pandemic and problems such as the Chinese net operators’ association not having GST registration further delayed the process. It might be tough to complete the renovation of the nets before Onam and the tourist season, they added.
The delay in procuring teak logs to renovate the nets had during the past years resulted in most of the net operators being forced to rely on lengthy steel pipes to support the nets. This was at huge cost of the aesthetics and functionality of the historic nets that had over the past centuries become synonymous with Kochi’s image as a coastal city. Oftentimes, tourists would join fishermen in pulling the nets.
Kerala Tourism is also under fire for shoddy upkeep of the beach premises. This includes the dilapidated walkway that has given away in many places, endangering the life of tourists and visitors