Fishermen allow GMR to move barge mounted plant

The company agrees to deposit Rs 2 cr as security

A meeting was convened by Deputy Commissioner V Ponnuraj on Sunday and during the meeting, the officials of GMR agreed to keep a security deposit of Rs 2 crore with the district administration till the desilting work is completed.

The company which started dredging works on Saturday as per the directions and demand of the fishermen dumped the silt on the mouth of the estuary as against the request of the fishermen that the silt must be dumped on the souther side of the break-water. However, when the fishermen brought this to the notice of the company, they made arrangements to dump the waste near the break-water on Sunday.  

The DC said that after they completed the dredging work, the district administration will issue no objection certificate to move. For the time being, the barge is anchored at Mangalore Old Port. The shifting of the barge to the mother ship will take six hours. The barge will reach its destination in Kakinada in five days once the mother ship sets sail.

It may be recalled that fishermen in over 65 boats had sieged the barge mount in Gurupura river at Kudroli on Friday after the company tried to sail the barge clandestinely without undertaking desilting as promised by them.