Dhamra fishing jetty in urgent need of dredging

Chandbali: Operation of over 500 boats at Dhamra fishing jetty in Bhadrak district has become difficult as the dock’s depth has been reduced due to increasing siltation. Under these circumstances, dredging has become a vital necessity for thousands of fishermen to operate their vessels and venture into the sea. Ratan Giri, a boat driver, alleged as the dock has not been dug out as per requirement, launches, trawlers and gillnets could not move inside. For this, fishermen facing a lot of problems and boats have to stay about 20 foot away from the jetty, he said, adding fishermen find it difficult to pull out fish catches from the sea.  Sources said the fishermen had apprised chief secretary Gokul Chandra Pati of their problems during his recent visit to the jetty. The chief secretary had directed the concerned authorities to initiate steps for dredging of the jetty, the sources added.PNN