K'taka govt to take up dredging work in fishing ports

Malpe, July 15 (UNI) Karnataka Fisheries Minister B Nagaraja Shetty today said the long pending dredging work of all fisheries ports in the state would commence from September this year.

After inaugurating the 70 KL Diesel tank and pump, High mast lights and distributing other inputs to the fishermen at the fisheries port here, he said that the state government had already set apart Rs five crore and the Centre was coming up with a matching grant.

In a bid to make fisheries ports into all weather ports, the government had decided to take up the dredging work in September without further delay, he said.

Mr Shetty said senior officials from the World Bank who recently met the Fisheries Director discussed about the need for changing the design to reduce the length of the fisheries boats.

Smaller boats had the advantage of getting higher catch, he pointed out and said spurt in the number of fishing boats in recent years had led to poor fish catch.

UNI