Bhubaneswar : The State Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, here on Tuesday, has approved the financial bid for construction of Fishing Harbour Stage-I1 at Astaranga (Nuagarh) in Puri District.
At a presser after the meeting, the CM along with the Chief Secretary Ms Anu Garg, said, ” The project supports the State’s long-term vision for a sustainable and high-value fisheries sectore. The execution cost is Rs 133.81 crore.”
Construction is planned to be completed within 24 calendar months, with technical assistance from IIT Madras as the Project Management Consultant (PMC)2.
The harbour will provide an integrated range of facilities including landing and berthing space, idle quay, auction hall, net-mending shed, gear shed, market complex, slipway and boat-repairing facilities.Round-the-clock water and power supply will support hygienic fish handling, improve operational efficiency and strengthen the overall fish marketing chain.
On completion, the harbour will provide safe landing and berthing facilities for 1,960 mechanized fishing crafts. It is expected to handle an annual fish catch of 55,876 MT, with an estimated value of about ₹496.36 crore. Around 35,000 fishermen and other stakeholders are expected to benefit directly and indirectly.
With the commencement of the harbor facilities, it is expected that the project would facilitate in reducing post-harvest fish losses from about 20% to 7%. Improved landing, handling, auctioning, storage and market-linked infrastructure, helping fishermen obtain better value for their catche.
Astaranga Fishing Harbour will strengthen the State’s Deep Sea Fishing Mission by providing modern shore-based infrastructure for safe landing, handling, aggregation and marketing of marine fish.
