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Dredge Mangalore old port

The Mangalore old port, known for its historic trade relations with Arabia and Lakshadweep archipelago dating back to 1,000 years, is now a death trap for fishermen and sailors.

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The Mangalore old port, known for its historic trade relations with Arabia and Lakshadweep archipelago dating back to 1,000 years, is now a death trap for fishermen and sailors. Thanks to the neglect by the state ports department, the wharf is making life miserable for its users.

For loading and unloading, labourers still use the 12-inch wide plank that connects the wharf and the ship, the anchorage is still not equipped to keep the vessels fastened and the foundation of the wharf is so dilapidated that it may collapse anytime.

"Crores of rupees have been spent on constructing the wharf and jetties in the last few years, but the conditions have remained the same. Politicians make tall promises and officials do nothing but take measurements of the quay and go into hibernation till the next occasion to re-enact the drama," say berth-users, who are mainly from the vessels leaving for Lakshadweep.

The much-hyped passenger ferry services between Mangalore and Lakshadweep islands (Kalpeni) have proved to be a non-starter and vessels are now sailing from Kochi. "Our vessels 'Kalpeni' and 'Minicoy' are heavier and we find it difficult to navigate in the channel between the breakwaters to Mangalore old port. We did it initially, but realised that it was not worth it. Moreover, passengers, too, are wary of docking in Mangalore, so we have reduced it to one sailing per month," said tour organisers.

It is not just the berthing area, but the channel, too, has been a problematic one. The depth of the channel should have been no less than 12 meters from the bar-mouth to the wharf, but it is now less than six meters. This has made it not just unsafe but un-navigable for 1,000-tonne vessels. "This condition has cropped up due to the lack of dredging operations in the area for the last few years. Many fishing boats have sunk and in the last two years and 24 fishermen have died due to boats capsizing near the bar-mouth," fishermen leader Vasudev Boloor told DNA.

Even trade vessels sailing between Lakshadweep and Mangalore are in danger. "We carry heavy goods such as cement, sand, steel, foodgrain, wood, automobiles, machinery and spare parts to Lakshadweep daily. But due to the shallow channel, our vessels can hold only 50% of installed capacity.

Those who ignore this end up sinking their vessel even before they reach the bar-mouth," said Mohammad Ibrahim, a ferry operator. "A year ago, I lost my vessel, Al Aifa, and cargo worth `30 lakh and two of my finest crew," Sadiq Ahmed, another operator, told DNA.

The politics of a neglected Mangalore coast dates back to 2009, when a GMR-owned Taneerbavi Power Corporation's barge mounted power plant at Taneerbavi, near Mangalore, was shifted to Vishakapatnam. The corporation had dredged the bar-mouth and the channel when it started operations in 2004. But the company did not restore the channel and bar-mouth to its required depth in 2009, which led to an agitation.

The company had then deposited Rs3 crore with the government to meet the dredging expenses.For loading and unloading, labourers still use the 12-inch wide plank that connects the wharf and the ship. The anchorage is still not equipped to keep the vessels fastened and the foundation of the wharf is so dilapidated that it may collapse anytime

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