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Shankarpur harbour inaccessible without dredging, say Bengal fishermen
About 1200-1300 fishing trawlers are unable to offload their catch at a harbour due to delay in dredging a creek between Shankarpur harbour and Digha Mohona in West Bengal's East Medinipur district, said an official of a fishermen body.
Kolkata: About 1200-1300 fishing trawlers are unable to offload their catch at a harbour due to delay in dredging a creek between Shankarpur harbour and Digha Mohona in West Bengal's East Medinipur district, said an official of a fishermen body.
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As the trawlers are not able to enter the 3-km long creek with low draft, they are moving to Odisha, Digha Fishermen and Fish Traders' Association chairman Pranab Kumar Kar said.
"There has been a delay in dredging the creek between Shankarpur harbour and Digha Mohana. About 1200-1300 trawlers are moving to Odisha as they are unable to enter the 3-km long creek with inadequate draft," he told PTI.
Around 5000-6000 people who are associated with the Digha Mohana fish market are adversely affected, he said.
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Kar alleged that the state fisheries department has not carried out proper dredging for last 7-8 years.
When contacted, state fisheries minister Chandranath Sinha said he is aware of the situation and the government is working on to solve the problem.
"During a recent district administrative meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, I had flagged the issue," Kar said.
Last year, a total catch of 1.46 lakh tonne of fish was recorded here, and of which 65 per cent was exported, Kar added.
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(PTI)