Jeppiaar Fishing Harbour Muttom Private Limited

First private fishing wharf in Kanyakumari Lalitha Rao The first private fishing harbour in the country will be set up at Muttom in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu for which the foundation stone was laid on February 5 by State Minister for Fisheries, K.P.P. Samy. The harbour is scheduled to be completed in the next two years. The Tamil Nadu government has allotted Rs 150 crore for the fishing harbour and various other infrastructure projects. "The project, through public-private partnership on BOOT basis, is likely to cost Rs 55 crore," said Dr. Jeppiaar, Founder Chancellor of Satyabhama University, who was also former chairman of Chennai Metropolitan Water & Sewerage Board. The project will be implemented by Jeppiaar Fishing Harbour Muttom Pvt. Ltd, Chennai, he added. Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has made a techno-economic and feasibility study on the project. An RFP document has been prepared through consultancy services and the Institute of Development & Planning Studies has been entrusted with the job of preparing RFP document and techno-economic designs of the harbour. The institute, in its concept and design, has considered vallams (small boats) which are largely owned and operated by fishermen themselves. "This concept was specially brought up into the design after due consultations with local fisher folks at the grassroots level," said Jeppiaar. The unique modern harbour will have a docking facility for 600 mechanised boats with restaurants, cold storage facility, auction hall, net repair shed and rooms to accommodate workers. The state has provided 40 acres of land for the entire project. Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, through open bidding process, selected Jeppiaar Fishing Harbour Muttom Pvt. Ltd for development of the harbour. The harbour also encompasses most modern designs and infrastructure with processing facilities befitting international standards. The harbour will also facilitate infrastructure for ship repair and ship construction. It has advantage of becoming a tourism hub in future. Tamil Nadu State Department of Tourism has already initiated proposals in this regard. The project is being developed by Vijay Nirman Pvt. Ltd in regard to offshore work, and R.V. Ramarao is consultant for the project.