4 days ago
Fishermen demand early renovation of Mandapam North jetty
As the concrete bollards used for tying boats at Mandapam North fishing jetty were damaged, exposing rusted iron rods, fishermen fear that they would be injured while working at late hours with limited light.
The jetty, which handles more than 300 trawlers and 100 country boats, was built about 20 years ago.
Since the bollards would be subjected to rough handling when trawlers were tied to them, they got damaged gradually, said M. Jahir Husain, president of Traditional Fishermen Association.
As the bollards were also regularly exposed to seawater and salty wind, the concrete materials withered away quickly, he said.
Now, instead of renovating them by just applying concrete paste, the whole structures should be rebuilt, Mr. Jahir Husain suggested.
He said only recently the jetty in Mandapam South was given a facelift with the renovation work.
Further, he demanded construction of a breakwater in the Mandapam North area to reduce the force of waves hitting the coast.
'During October, November and December, when the wind velocity is very high, boats anchored in the sea will be loosened and will crash on the shore,' he added.
Due to the wind force, more than 10 boats were damaged in the last year itself, he noted.
'Even minor damage to the boat would cost lakhs of rupees for repair,' he stated.
Mr. Jahir Husain said representing the association he submitted a petition to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on April 8, demanding allocation of funds for the construction of a breakwater.
'While ₹360 crore was allocated for construction of breakwaters in Kunthukal, Pamban and Thangachimadam, we are yet to get any fund allocation,' he said.
A Fisheries Department official said in the Tamil Nadu Budget 2023-24, ₹25 crore was allocated for construction of breakwater, but since the Government Order was not issued and the funds were not released the works were getting delayed.
Regarding the reconstruction of the bollards at the jetty, he said they had informed the Fishing Harbour Wing to prepare an estimate for the renovation work.
