Balasore: Balaramgadi near Chandipur in Balasore district is known as the second largest fishing centre in Odisha. Varieties of fishes are caught on a daily basis. A major portion of the catch is exported.
Over 1.5 lakh fishermen and traders, depend on this fishing centre for their livelihood. There has been a proposal to upgrade this centre into a fishing harbour.
However, the ambitious project has remained a non-starter due to lack of environmental clearance. The proposed harbour, once it gets the necessary clearance will come up near the Kasaphal fishing base at Bahabalpur.
Fishermen have been demanding the setting up of the harbour for a long time. The district association of fishermen submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2016 for a fishing harbour.
The Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for Fishery, Bangalore, then carried out field investigation for preparation of the technoeconomic feasibility report, including the detailed project report, for the project, in 2017.
The pre-feasibility study for the proposed project was conducted by the Fisheries department and brought relief to people involved in the fishing sector. A tender was then floated for the project.
However, two years passed by without any further development. Now contractors are not keen to take up the job as cost of the materials has gone up in these few years. A new estimate for the project was worked out and a fresh tender was floated.
However, till date, the project has not got environmental clearance. A total of 407 trawlers and 200 motorised boats are engaged in the Balaramgadi area.
Owing to the absence of a jetty or a harbour, most of the vessels prefer to trade the catch at Digha in West Bengal and not at fishing centres in Balasore.
Badal Das, president of Matsyajibi Sangh said, “There is an urg ent need of a harbour. Fishermen face a lot of difficulties due to its absence. They have to go to Digha for trading. As a result, the government incurs huge revenue losses.”
As the fishing habrour is getting delayed, there is a plan to construct a pucca pindi at a cost of Rs 1 crore. The Collector will send the proposal to the Odisha government. After the government sanctions funds for the pindi, the fishermen will not have to go to Digha to sell fishes.
For the Balaramgadi project, 55.01 acres of land had been allotted to the fisheries department August 14 and an estimated budget of Rs 48 crore has been earmarked for it.
Former MP Rabindra Jena said that the state government has laid stress on the development of the proposed fishing harbour. After environmental clearance, it will be set up, he added.
District Fisheries officer Pradip Ghose said that the land for the fishing harbour has been identified while DPR is being prepared. A fish sale centre at a cost of Rs 1 crore will be set up, he informed.
PNN
