KENDRAPARA: The two-month long fishing ban imposed by the Government from April 15 to June 14 to protect the breeding fish in sea has helped revive the ailing boat making units in Kharinashi, Ramanagar, Batighar and Jamboo in the district."The 60-day fishing holiday has given an impetus to the sinking boat making industry.
This age-old trade is all set to make a tidy profit during this time," said Mohan Mandal, a boat maker of Batighar village.The carpenters and other workers have their hands full. Many fishermen also work as carpenters and painters in the boat making units to sustain their livelihood during the ban period, Mandal said.Over 200 craftsmen are engaged in making boats and repairing existing ones.
It takes at least one month to build a new country boat at a cost of Rs 50,000 to Rs two lakh and a trawler at Rs 12 to Rs 15 lakh. It takes one week to repair a boat at a cost of Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000, said Manmohan Moharana, a boat maker of Ramanagar.Considered to be among the oldest professions, the boat making trade has declined by almost 50 per cent within three decades in the coastal district of Kendrapara and its nearby areas.
The advent of fiber-made boats coupled with non-availability of quality timber has made the age-old boat making craft rapidly lose its importance, said Ramesh Maiti, another boat maker of Batighar."Three decades back, around 400 families of the seaside villages of the district used to make fishing and ferry boats as well as trawlers. After construction of several bridges over rivers, we stopped making passenger boats. Today, only 100 families eke out a living by making fishing boats," said Sujit Bepari a boat maker of Ramanagar."
The fishing ban period is the peak season for us as many boat owners need to repair their vessels and people also place order for new boats. I got orders from 10 fishermen to repair their boats and six have asked me for new boats. I have engaged 10 carpenters for the work," said 32-year-old Basant Mandal, another boat maker of Batighar.
