Giving hope to the fishermen along the coastline of the capital, especially in Vizhinjam where the new international seaport has been constructed, the Cabinet meeting held here on Wednesday approved the construction of a new fishing port at Vizhinjam. The State will execute the project in two packages, including the development of a new fishing port in the first package, and the construction of a breakwater to improve the stability of the entrance to the existing old fishing port at Vizhinjam in the next package.
The construction of the new port and the project to increase the stability of the entrance of the old fishing port are based on the final design submitted by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune. The packages are estimated to cost ₹271 crore.
As per the provision of the concession agreement signed by the State government and Vizhinjam International Seaport concessionaire port concessionaire, Adani Vizhinjam Private Port Limited (AVPPL), a 235-metre-long breakwater, a 500-metre-long fishery berth, and other ancillary facilities will be set up in Package I at a cost of ₹146 crore through the concessionaire AVPPL.
The construction of a 250-metre-long breakwater at a 45-degree slope from the seaward side of the breakwater of the existing fishing harbour will be implemented as Package II through the Harbour Engineering Department at a cost of ₹125 crore, said Port Minister V.N. Vasavan.
As part of the fishing port project, representatives of the fishermen, who are the beneficiaries of the new fishing port, were brought to the study centre at CWPRS in Pune, and physical model experiments were explained in their presence. Fishermen, the beneficiaries of the new fishing harbour, had raised some concerns regarding the design of the port. The construction will be carried out according to the design based on the CWPRS report, the Minister said.
Published – March 26, 2025 07:32 pm IST