THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A fish landing facility built at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore at Anchuthengu is in a dilapidated condition. "We had opposed the construction of a fish landing centre from the beginning. But our protests were in vain. It became unusable within four months of establishment," said Justin, a fisherman from Anchuthengu. Now the facility serves as a shield to protect the houses behind from sea erosion.
Titled 'Construction of modern, hygienic fish landing centre at Anchuthengu', the project was carried out by Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation Ltd (KSCADC) ) in 2016, as part of setting up 22 fish landing centres that cost Rs 19.47 crore in the state. Among the 22 centres, eight were allotted to the capital district. The other coastal areas with fish landing centres are Karumkulam, Puthukurichy, Paruthiyoor, Poovar, Puthiyathura, Adimalathura and Mariyanadu.
"We are not permitted to construct houses 50 metres from the high tide line (HTL). But the fish landing facility was constructed five metres away from the HTL,' said Prista John, a resident.
Robert Panipilla, founding director of the non-governmental organisation Friends of Marine Life (FML), said: "The tide reaches the land by 25 metres during the rough sea season. Though we opposed the project, the authorities concerned did not care to study the issue before constructing the facility. This coast is prone to sea erosions. We knew the facility wouldn't last long," he said.
Neither local governing bodies nor stakeholders supported the construction of the fish landing facility at Anchuthengu. "Developmental activities in the coastal region are important, but the authorities are least concerned about how these developments could be beneficial to the people," said Robert.
However, the managing director of KSCADC said he was unfamiliar with the issue.