MAPUSA
After years of sustained demands from the fishing community, dredging work at the mouth of the Chapora river began on Monday at an estimated cost of Rs 6.35 crore.
The long-awaited project is expected to significantly improve navigability and provide relief to boat owners and fishermen who have struggled with sandbars restricting access to the sea.
Once completed, the dredging will create a uniform depth ranging from 2.5 to 4 metres, ensuring the safe movement of fishing boats and trawlers across all tidal conditions.
At present, many vessels are able to venture out to sea only during high tide due to heavy siltation at the river mouth.
Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo, speaking at the inauguration, said the project was undertaken following repeated requests from boat owners and fishermen. She acknowledged that sandbars had severely affected fishing operations, forcing boats to wait for high tide and causing damage to vessels.
She also urged boat owners and fishermen to cooperate by guiding the workers on areas requiring dredging.
Lobo further informed that repair and renovation work on the jetty and the auction shed would be taken up after the dredging is completed.
Anjuna Sarpanch Surendra Govekar said the long-pending demand of fishermen had finally been addressed and thanked the local MLA for initiating the project. He pointed out that the number of fishing boats had declined over the years due to repeated losses.
“Many fishermen suffered losses as boats were damaged after hitting sandbars. As a result, the number of boats operating from here has reduced,” Govekar said, adding that the dredging work would go a long way in resolving the issue.
Panchayat member Dinesh Patil also spoke at the event.
Other panchayat members, along with officials from the fisheries department and other government departments, were present at the inauguration of the dredging work.
