Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar inspected Mangaluru Fishing Harbor on Saturday morning and heard the problems of fishermen and businessmen. He assured resolution on Alve Bagilu's demands related to dredging, boat parking, women's facilities and health services.
Mangaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar visited the fishing harbor of Mangaluru on Saturday morning and took stock of the arrangements there and the condition of fish business. The Chief Minister, who reached the harbor at around 5 am, inspected the jetty and docking areas and interacted with fishermen, fish traders and representatives of local business organizations and heard their problems.
Took information about problems related to fishing and business
The Chief Minister was accompanied by Health Minister and Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada district UT Khader, local leaders and representatives of Dakshina Kannada Trawl Boat Fishermen's Association. Shivakumar reached the harbor and witnessed the day's fishing activities and took information from the fishermen and officials about the facilities, jetty, parking of boats and issues related to fish trade.
He interacted directly with the fishermen to understand the problems they face during their daily operations in the harbour. Representatives of fishermen organizations presented several issues related to infrastructure and livelihood before the Chief Minister and also submitted a list of their demands.
Shivakumar said the government will examine the demands of the fishermen and work towards finding a permanent solution. He took information from the officials especially on the problems related to harbor infrastructure and operation of fishing boats.
Emphasis on dredging and boat parking of Alve Bagilu
One of the major demands of the fishermen is related to the dredging of the Alve Bagilu i.e. the mouth. Shivakumar said that this issue will be considered. Along with this, it has also been said to look into the problem related to parking of boats.
Jetties and movement of boats play an important role in the operation of the harbour. In such a situation, the Chief Minister took information from the concerned officials about the existing facilities and necessary improvements. He talked about finding a permanent solution instead of limiting the demands of the fishermen to just immediate relief.
Report sought on stoppage of business upon arrival of Chief Minister
During the visit, Shivakumar also observed that regular business activities at the harbor were disrupted after his arrival. The Chief Minister expressed displeasure over this and directed the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada and the Police Commissioner of Mangaluru to submit the report.
He said that if the investigation finds that normal activities of the Harbor were unnecessarily disrupted due to security arrangements, action will be taken against the responsible officials. The Chief Minister stressed that livelihood of a large number of people is linked to fishing business and regular activities should not be disrupted without proper reason.
According to reports, Shivakumar also wanted to know from the officials why the fish trade was stopped. He gave instructions to continue normal activities and sought a report on the matter.
Attention to the facilities of fishermen also
The Chief Minister also listened to the problems of women related to fish business. Women from the fishermen community raised issues related to basic facilities. These included complaints related to availability of essential facilities.
Shivakumar said the demands related to improving facilities for fishermen, arranging for special hospital testing and providing dedicated ambulances would also be examined. The aim of the government is to improve health and other essential services for people involved in fishing and business.
The visit took place a day after the cabinet meeting
The Chief Minister's visit to Mangaluru Fishing Harbor came a day after the state cabinet met in Mangaluru on Friday. This meeting was organized to discuss various proposals related to the development of coastal Karnataka. Several proposals related to tourism, infrastructure, education, health, fisheries sector and coastal connectivity were considered in the cabinet meeting.
In this sequence, a plan for a dedicated university focusing on marine studies, fishing culture and blue economy has also been revealed. The government has also laid emphasis on increasing the capacity of maritime education.
Government's focus on maritime education and blue economy
Education and skill development have also been included in the government plans to promote maritime economy in coastal Karnataka. The objective of enhancing the capacity of institutions related to marine studies and fisheries sector is to prepare trained human resources in this field.
Proposals related to developing the coastal area as a major center of tourism and blue economy were also discussed in the cabinet meeting. The state government has proposed several schemes towards strengthening infrastructure and public services in the coastal districts.
Plan on water transport and C-Metro project also
To improve coastal connectivity, the government has also said to work on initiatives related to passenger and freight water transport. These also include C-Metro or Water Metro project. Steps have also been taken to study the feasibility of water-based public transport in the Mangaluru region.
In this way, during his visit to Mangaluru, on one hand the Chief Minister was aware of the day-to-day problems of the fishermen, while on the other hand the focus was also on the schemes related to long-term development of the coastal area.
Government now keeping an eye on the demands of fishermen
The main objective of DK Shivakumar's harbor visit was to directly understand the problems of fishermen, traders and other people associated with the harbour. Issues related to dredging of Alve Bagilu, parking of boats, harbor facilities, basic services and health facilities for women have been put before the government.
The Chief Minister has assured to investigate the related demands and work towards a permanent solution. Also, a report has been sought from the Deputy Commissioner and Police Commissioner regarding disruption of business in the harbour. Now the action taken at the administrative level on these issues and the next decisions of the government will be monitored.