The Hindu Business Line : Gangavaram: Fishing jetty `not feasible'

MR K. UPENDRA Rao (left), President of Gangavaram Port Ltd, and Mr Bh. A. Rama Raju, Assistant Vice-President, addressing the press at Visakhapatnam on Sunday. — C.V. Subrahmanyam

Visakhapatnam , April 16

It is not technically feasible to construct a fishing jetty at Nallamarammapatalu, as sought by the fishermen of Gangavaram, and the site is within the port layout, Mr K. Upendra Rao, President of Gangavaram Port Ltd, said.

Addressing the press here on Sunday, Mr Rao said "If a fishing jetty is constructed at the site, the capacity of the port will be reduced by 60 per cent. It can only operate at 40 per cent. Its expansion will be stalled," he said.

Further, he said, it is not technically feasible to have such a jetty at the site.

"The Gangavaram fishermen have country boats and catamarans. With such craft, I do not think it is possible to have a jetty there," he said.

When it was pointed out to him that the State Government had offered to construct a jetty 600 metres away from Nallamarammapatalu, he said the site was not within the layout and "maybe a jetty can be constructed there."

On schedule

Mr Rao reiterated that all clearances had been obtained for the port and it was scheduled to be commissioned by December 2007.

"Till now we are on schedule. But any delay at this juncture could prove costly. It may set the project back by six to eight months. We have to complete certain works before the onset of monsoon,'' he explained.

Jobs for fishermen

On the rehabilitation package, he said it was the responsibility of the State Government, which has 11 per cent stake in the project, "to clear the site of all encumbrances and hand it over to us."

However, taking a broader view and keeping in mind its social responsibility, the consortium had agreed to provide 600 jobs to fishermen of Dibbapalem and Gangavaram villages. "In the first phase, 1,000 jobs will be created and 600 will be reserved for them. We are sympathetic to the cause of fishermen. Further, several ancillary industries will come up in the area, once the port is commissioned. They can get jobs there too," he said.

When it was pointed out to him that the fishermen did not have the technical or academic qualifications required for the kind of modern, mechanised port being constructed at Gangavaram, he said they would be imparted the necessary training.

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