THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water Resources Minister Mathew T Thomas told the Assembly on Tuesday that the construction of the breakwater at Beemapally, which has always been witnessing huge sea erosion, is progressing at a fast pace.
Replying to a submission moved by V S Sivakumar of the Congress, he said the construction of the breakwater, at a cost of Rs 61 lakh, has now been completed. The construction began only on October 5, 2015, he said.
Thomas said the administrative sanction of Rs 1,670 lakh to build 15 breakwaters was given on May 21, 2014. Meanwhile, the eight breakwaters at Poonthura constructed in 2010 on the basis of IIT Madras study report have been damaged. One breakwater has been completely destroyed while the others have been partial damages, he said in the Assembly. An estimate is being prepared for the renovation of the breakwaters.
He said a technical expert committee had been formed on August 5, 2017 to look into the steps needed to be taken to prevent coastal erosion. The recommendations of the committee can also be looked into while constructing breakwaters at Beemapally and Poonthura, he said.
Moving the submission, Sivakumar said the construction of breakwaters at Beemapally and Poonthura is going at a slow pace. The construction which began in 2015 had to be discontinued many times because of the non availability of rock, he said.
Though an estimate of Rs 8.3 crore was prepared for the construction of breakwater at Poonthura, the file still remains with the Major Irrigation Chief Engineer’s office, he alleged.