KOCHI: Excise and Fisheries Minister K Babu has come out against the report submitted by the B Meenakumari Commission, an expert committee appointed by the Central Government to redefine the country’s marine fisheries sector.
He was speaking at the function held to lay the foundation stone of the Ocean Studies Campus of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos), at Puthuvypu near here on Saturday.He said that the report is harmful to the traditional fisherfolk in the country. “The suggestions put forth in the report on deep sea fishing will have a negative impact on the the fisherman community. The new policies adopted by the Central Government will destroy the fisheries sector. The State Government will soon convey its concerns over the recommendations of the report to the Central Government,” he said.
He suggested that serious research was needed on climate change, global warming, cyclones and Tsunami.
“The Ocean Studies Campus, to be set up by the KUFOS, will provide the necessary human resources in the sector and address its problems, while exploring the ocean resources that are useful to man. The campus will be developed into a ‘centre of excellence’ in ocean studies with international standards,” he said, adding that the KUFOS was faring well while some other universities were not performing well.
“The proposed academic complex is being constructed by the civil engineering wing of the BSNL. The plinth area of the ground floor and the first floor is 755 sqm each, and the total plinth are of the building is 1,510 sqm. The complex consists of class rooms, labs, seminar hall, staff room and toilet blocks. The cost of construction of the first phase of the project is Rs 2.35 crore, which will be completed within one year after the award of the work,” said BSNL officials.