Battery operated fishing boat launched in Malpe

Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Venkata Rao Nadagouda said that the budget announced by chief minister is bound to fulfil the assurances made to the fishing community.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the fish market and inaugurating the first ever electrically-run fishing boat in the state here at Malpe harbour on Wednesday, the minister said that to tackle the scarcity of kerosene, the state government is introducing an electrically supported battery-run fishing boat.

This is currently introduced on an experimental basis in Malpe. “If it proves to be feasible, the state government will introduce it on a large scale. After fishing vacation ends, the fishermen can try the new boat and look into the possibilities. If it is a failure, the state government would ignore the proposal,” he added.

He said that the fishermen need not worry, as the government is not imposing any sort of restrictions on the usage of kerosene, and the fuel would be provided until the central government will provide kerosene. Earlier, kerosene was provided through the public distribution system, which is not the case now. As a result, there is apprehension among the fishermen that the centre may come up with the decision to stop the supply of kerosene completely.

The battery is manufactured with various options of horsepower, including 1hp, 2hp, 3hp, 5hp and 10hp. The one used currently is a 10hp, which takes about three hours to be charged fully and runs at a speed of 16-kilometres per hour. The battery is manufactured by Torqueedo, a German Company.

The company would also offer an alternate battery that can be used during any emergency. The fishing boat can accommodate up to 10 people. The cost of the fishing boat would be decided based on the horsepower capacity of the engine, which might come up to Rs 7.5 lakhs, the minister said.

The battery has a warranty of five years and is proved to have a lifespan of 10 years, without any maintenance, he assured.

The fishermen expressed their apprehensions that the boat would be incapable of pulling the load of the fishing net as well as the weight of the fish pulled by the net. The fishermen were also worried that the state government would make it mandatory to use the battery-run fishing boats. The fishermen groups objected to the new proposal. The minister had to struggle to convince the fishermen that the proposal was being worked out on an experimental basis only.

MLA Raghupathy Bhat also tried to convince the fishermen community that the battery-run fishing boats have not been made mandatory. The minister also held a meeting with the fishermen community and assured to look into their problems.

Later, visiting Hejamady the minister said that a fisheries port with the latest technology will be built at Hejamady. The project has reached the tender stage.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting the blueprints of the project, he said the MLAs from the coastal district had raised the issue of a fisheries port. The construction of Hejamady port will reduce pressure on Malpe and Mangaluru fisheries port. He said all the required clearance have been taken, for the construction of Hejamady port. The state government is committed to sharing 50% of the project cost. The officials have been directed to visit a jetty developed with the latest technology, in Goa.