Centre's intervention over Kerala's 'death trap' harbour

BJP leader and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan assured corrective measures and modernisation of the harbour.

The long pending plight of fishermen over the safety hazards at the Muthalapozhi harbour in Thiruvananthapuram, where 69 died in boat mishaps over the last ten years, is finally witnessing swift interventions by the Centre and the State governments as the influential Latin Catholic community has intensified their protests.

Days after the death of four fishermen in the harbour, a central team visited the region on Monday to study the safety risks of the region. BJP leader and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who accompanied the team, assured corrective measures and modernisation of the harbour.

In the meantime, the CPM government in Kerala also swung into action with a delegation of ministers discussing the issue on Monday and assuring immediate steps to make the harbour safe. The State government also announced assistance of Rs 10 lakh each to the dependents of the deceased fishermen.

The swift actions came at a time when the Congress was strongly backing the protest by the Latin Catholic church over the plight of the coastal community which is a decisive vote bank of Thiruvananthapuram.

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Accumulation of sand at the mouth of the harbour leading to high tides was considered as the reason for the frequent boat mishaps in the region on the suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram with fishermen often referring to the harbour as a death trap. The Adani ports had earlier agreed to continuously dredge the navigation channel as part of an agreement with the harbour engineering department for constructing a berth in the region for stocking rocks brought for the construction of the Vizhinjam international port, which is around 35 kilometres from Muthalapozhi.

Kerala Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan said that a meeting with officials of Adani ports would be held on Tuesday to ensure that the dredging was done without fail. A permanent system for carrying out the dredging continuously would also be put in place, he said.

The Latin Catholic church was also agitated over the police registering a case against Thiruvananthapuram archdiocese vicar general Eugine Perira in connection with the protest by fishermen following the recent mishap.