Shipping Ministry gives approval to building coastal berth at Gangolli

It will be executed at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore under Sagarmala, says MP

The coastal berth will come up at the Gangolli Fishing Harbour in Udupi district. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The Union Shipping Ministry has given approval to the construction of a coastal berth at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore at Gangolli in Kundapur taluk, according to Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra.

Gangolli, on the banks of the Panchagangavali in Byndoor Assembly segment, is a part of Shivamogga Lok Sabha Constituency.

A statement from the MP’s office here said that Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowala has given approval to the proposal for the coastal berth at Gangolli Fishing Harbour.

The work will be taken up under the Sagarmala scheme of the Union government wherein the Central government will share the cost proportionate to the category of the project while the balance will be borne by the State government/State Maritime Board. Mr. Raghavendra said that Gangolli will emerge as a commercial hub once the coastal berth comes into existence.

Under the revised Sagarmala scheme, financial assistance will be provided for the construction or upgradation of exclusive coastal berths for coastal cargo, berths/ jetties for passenger ferries, construction of platforms / jetties for hovercrafts or seaplanes, national waterways and islands.

Sagarmala scheme, launched in 2014, aims at, among other things, encouraging coastal cargo movement to reduce pressure on the road and railway network. Movement of cargo on the sea route will also be cheaper to goods transportation by road or railways, the government said.

Gangolli, being a major fishing harbour in Udupi district, already caters to over one thousand mechanised fishing vessels. Recently, the breakwaters of the harbour were renovated improving the navigation canal and offering smooth navigation to fishing boats and this can help handle coastal vessels too, according to the government.

While Kundapur town is located on the southern banks of the Panchagangavali, Gangolli is located on the northern banks. The distance by road between the two towns, however, is about 16 km. The breakwaters on both the southern and northern banks of the river have become tourist attractions drawing visitors in good numbers.