Chhatrapur: Dredging work at the Aryapalli fishing jetty mouth has started Wednesday in the presence of Chhatrapur MLA Krushna Chandra Nayak and Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan. The mouth of the jetty had silted up, causing difficulties for fishing boats in entering the jetty and leaving for the sea.
Fishermen said venturing into the sea for fishing had become increasingly difficult. Following intervention by the district administration and the MLA, Adani Gopalpur Port deployed a modern dredging machine to carry out the work. The Netherlands-made dredger, brought from Dhamra Port, will deepen and widen the jetty mouth.
Officials said the work is expected to be completed within a period of two months. The dredged sand will be deposited near Aryapalli Marine Police Station to help protect the coastline from tidal ingression. Thousands of fishermen from 27 villages had been facing hardships in entering the jetty and in venturing into the sea due to the blockage, officials said.
Collector Vasan noted that the administration had requested the port authorities to take up the project. MLA Nayak said this will stop fishermen from migrating to other states in search of livelihood. The inauguration at Aryapalli jetty was attended by Prashant Kumar Patra, business head of Gopalpur Port, Bhaktabandhu Satapathy, and several local leaders of fishermen and residents.