more-in Venkatrao Nadagouda, Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, said on Wednesday that the ban on fishing using lights in the sea would be reinforced. He was chairing a review meeting of the Departments of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here. Mr. Nadagouda said that though there was already a ban on the practice, there were complaints that this was being done in some places. He would tell the Chief Secretary to issue an order to the Deputy Commissioners of the coastal districts. Before the start of the fishing season next month, this order will be fully implemented in the coastal districts, he said. He directed Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis to call a separate meeting to give appropriate directions to the Coastal Security Police and the Coast Guard in this regard. He said that the issue of construction of houses for poor fishermen under the Matsyashraya scheme through either the Department of Fisheries or the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Development Corporation would be decided after carefully considering all aspects. On the issue of construction of jetties in the State, the Minister said that a team of officers from the State would be sent to Goa where construction of floating jetties was being given priority. Only after getting a report on the quality and feasibility of floating jetties from the team, it would be taken up in the State, he said. The officers of the Department of Ports informed the meeting that the construction of breakwater channel at Gangolli fisheries harbour at a cost of ?102 crore was in the final stage. The dredging work was going on at Kodikanyana jetty at a cost of ?6.48 crore. The ?139-crore Hejmady fisheries harbour project was in the final stages of getting approval, the officers said. Earlier participating in a meeting of fishermen leaders at Malpe fisheries harbour, Mr. Nadagouda said that subsidised diesel would be provided to the fishermen at delivery point as was being done earlier. The maintenance work of slipway at Baputhota here would be handed over to the Malpe Fishermen’s Association, he said.

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