Udupi : Kota Srinivas Poojary, Minister for Ports and Fisheries, and Muzrai, said on Friday that a high-level team of departmental officers would check the works belonging to the Ports and Fisheries Departments which were progressing slowly.

Chairing a meeting on issues related to the Departments of Ports and Fisheries and Inland Water Transport at the District Offices Complex here, Mr. Poojary said that the breakwater work at Koderi being constructed at a cost of Rs.33 crore should have been completed in January this year.

But so far only 20% work had been completed. The high-level team would inspect this work.

He directed the officers to submit a report on cancelling the licence of the contractor concerned and including him in the black list. Since the dredging work had not been taken up at Kodikanyana, it had become difficult for the boats to move about.

Hence the officers should immediately get Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for it and start the dredging the work.

“Officers should take all the necessary permissions for the works as it would help in their completion on time,” he said. The remaining minor works related to the Third Stage of Malpe Fisheries Harbour should be completed by the end of September and the Department of Ports should handover this harbour to the Department of Fisheries, he said.

The first phase work of the Rs. 45 crore Maravanthe outer harbour had been completed. But the fishermen could avail the benefit of this harbour only if the second phase work was completed. Hence, the second phase work should be taken up immediately and the high-level team should visit this harbour, he said.

There were over 4,000 traditional boat fishermen in the district. Hence a proposal had been submitted to provide 300 litres of additional kerosene for them, he said. The issues of sea erosion, distribution of compensation to fishermen, engine subsidy to traditional boats and Matsyashraya scheme also came up for discussion at the meeting.

Dinakar Babu, President of Zilla Panchayat, Sheela K. Shetty, Vice-President, G. Jagadeesh, Deputy Commissioner, Sadashiva Prabhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner, were present.