JOIN USCDA plans investors' meet in December
Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here on Saturday, he said the meet will be held either in Mangalore or Udupi to facilitate the NRIs to invest in the coastal district.
Industries which are not harmful to the region should come up. A convention on ‘Vision 2050’ for coastal Karnataka will be held in the month of either September or November.
As Mangalore is the only airport for the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, a road connectivity from Manipal to Mangalore airport will be provided through a four-lane road. The feasibility report for the road will be completed within a month.
Once the road comes up, then it will reduce the travel time from 67 km to 52 km, he informed.
He said that the CDA is planning to upgrade Maravoor railway station which is close to Mangalore airport.
Shetty said that Karnataka has only one major port. Owing to lack of dredging, big ships can not enter Karwar port. The dredging of the ports will be started after the monsoon. In fact, there is no shortage of funds for undertaking dredging. The State government is planning to own a dredger with the help of the Centre and give to for private for its maintenance, he added.
When KCCI former president Capt John Menezes raised the question of providing infrastructure to the existing ports, Shetty said that the ports will be expanded.
A proposal on the fisheries road parallel to National Highway from Karwar to Talapady will be prepared to facilitate the fishermen.
On sea erosion, he said that ADB project to mitigate sea erosion will commence after monsoon from Ullal.
Earlier, KCCI Chairman G G Mohandas Prabhu submitted a detailed project report on fisheries harbour which was promised for those who had lost land to NMPT and a feasibility study report on coastal erosion to Nagaraj Shetty.
The report was prepared by the SRM University faculties (of the department of civil engineering) Dr Deeptha Thattai and R Sathyanathan.
He also urged Shetty to pressurise the government for the setting up of maritime board in Karnataka for the development of ports.