RAMANATHAPURAM: Pamban fishermen urged the district administration and port department to ensure that the ongoing dredging of the Pamban canal is carried out thoroughly, alleging that the sandbars continue to obstruct stretches used by mechanised boats and that over 10 boat propeller wings were damaged in a month.
Following repeated demands from fishermen, the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board awarded a private contract worth Rs 9.5 crore for removing accumulated sand and deepening the canal. The contract covers dredging along a 3,500-metre stretch, of which around 500 metres has reportedly been completed. Fishers, however, said several dunes remained in the channel and were damaging the boat propellers.
The Pamban canal, connecting the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, runs for about 2 km beneath the Pamban road and railway bridges. It is around 125 metres wide and has a maximum depth of 2.11 metres. However, sediment accumulation has reduced the depth to below two metres at several stretches, fishermen said.
“The shallow stretches make navigation difficult at certain times, and boats have also got grounded on sandbanks. The sandbars need to be removed based on the actual requirements of vessels using the canal,” said Prasanna, a fisherman.
Members of the Theevu Fishermen association alleged that sandbars continued to remain at several points along sections where dredging had already been carried out. Another fisherman, P Susi, said, “We approached the team with GPS data and requested that the identified locations also be dredged. However, we were told that further deepening could not be undertaken in those areas. Unless the sandbars identified by fishermen are removed, the canal cannot be considered fully dredged. The work should be assessed from the perspective of safe navigation.”
A senior official from the Pamban Port Office said the fishermen’s petition had been forwarded to higher officials for consideration and further action would be taken based on their directions.