Foundation laid for small fishing harbour at Samandhanpettai

The foundation for a small fishing harbour at Samandhanpettai, a traditional fishing village under Nagapattinam Municipality, was laid on Monday by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

The ceremony was attended by Collector P. Akash, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation chairman N. Gowthaman, Nagapattinam MLA J. Mohammad Shanavas and other officials.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Poyyamozhi said Samandhanpettai was home to about 1,500 fishers, who operated 213 fishing boats, and the harbour project respond to a long-standing demand from the community for safe berthing and protection of boats during the monsoon and other natural hazards. The State government had granted administrative approval on the basis of the fishers’ request and, under a government order dated July 17, 2025, sanctioned the project at an estimated cost of ₹32.50 crore.

The project plan includes construction of a north breakwater of 70 metres, a south breakwater of 385 metres, a 100-metre jetty for berthing boats, nearly 25,000 cubic metres of reclamation and related works, a fish-landing and handling platform and a net-mending shed. The minister said the harbour would provide year-round access to fishing grounds, secure boats and gear, improve post-harvest handling and marketing infrastructure in hygienic conditions, and help raise fishers’ incomes.

Mr. Poyyamozhi noted that earlier infrastructure — a storage shed and a fish-drying platform — had been constructed in the village with assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s rural infrastructure fund at a cost of about ₹75 lakh.

As part of the day’s programme, the minister inaugurated a new bus shelter in the Melekootai Vasal area of Nagapattinam, constructed under the Fisheries Development Corporation’s corporate social responsibility funds at a cost of ₹10.86 lakh. He also laid the foundation stone for ward-level works in Samandhanpettai’s 11th ward — including storm-water drains, a cement road and a small bridge — approved under the 15th finance commission scheme at an estimated cost of ₹33.50 lakh.

Officials said the harbour project would also encourage sustainable use of under-utilised resources and promote environment-friendly coastal and aquaculture practices. The plan envisages improved facilities for landing, grading and marketing fish, as well as measures to protect boats and equipment during adverse weather, they added.

The ceremony was attended by Nagapattinam Municipality Chairperson R. Marimuthu, Assistant Director of Fisheries and Welfare G. Jayaraj, Municipal Commissioner D. Leena Simon, Deputy Chair M. R. Senthilkumar, fisheries welfare board member G. Manoharan, project implementation engineer K. Saravanakumar, ward councillors and other district officials.