Mangaluru: With the trawling ban period ending on July 31, trawl and purse seine boats in Dakshina Kannada are set to venture into the sea from early Saturday morning. However, several boat owners said slow progress of works at the old port and space constraints have hampered preparations.Preparations are in full swing, with final checks and testing rounds carried out Friday, said Chetan Bengre, president of the Dakshina Kannada District Trawl Boat Union. However, limited docking space has made it difficult to load ice and fuel efficiently.“Boats will start heading out from around 5am Saturday,” he said.He also highlighted a labour shortage, saying workers from states such as West Bengal have begun arriving, but their numbers are still low.Repair works have also been uneven across the fleet, with not all boats fully serviced due to financial constraints and a shortage of workers. Despite the challenges, fishermen remain hopeful about the upcoming season, he added.Ravi Kiran Bengre, a boat owner, said preparations are under way, but uncertainty prevails this season due to relatively fewer rains and storms.He said not all boats have been able to stock ice as works are progressing slowly.“Multiple works have been taken up simultaneously, leading to severe space constraints at the dock. Boat parking, fish unloading and ice storage cannot be managed simultaneously due to lack of space,” he said, adding that ice stocking, which began earlier this week, has been affected.Another boat owner, Rajesh, said that at this stage around 70% of preparations should have been completed, but only about 30% is done.He also alleged that even basic facilities are lacking.Meanwhile, the govt released the quota for subsidised diesel for fishermen Friday.Major works easing congestion to be done within 45 daysAn official from Karnataka Maritime Board’s ports and fisheries sub-division said work is progressing and not on hold, but multiple projects being executed simultaneously have caused temporary inconvenience.“Two major projects are under way: redevelopment of the existing harbour under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and construction of a new harbour in the third stage. While key jetty works have been completed, dredging could not be carried out due to monsoon restrictions,” the official said.The official said about 6,000sqm of hard-surfaced area is ready for ice loading and fish handling, but parking and levelling works are delayed due to a shortage of red soil, continuous rains, and labour constraints.Dakshina Kannada has about 2,000metres of jetty against a requirement of 3,000metres for nearly 1,500 boats, with some stretches unusable due to ongoing works and lack of dredging, the official said.He said that once the monsoon subsides, major pending works, including parking and access roads, will be completed within about one to one-and-a-half months, significantly easing congestion and enabling fishermen to use the facilities.
