The Andhra Pradesh Government should immediately set up a State maritime board, along the lines of Gujarat, for development of the fisheries sector as well as the ports, according to the Association of Indian Fishery Industries (AIFI) here.

Association President YGK Murthy said in an interview on Wednesday that the proposal, hanging fire for a long time, should be implemented by the AP Government. “The State has a long coastline of 974 km, which can be fully exploited only if we have such a board. Further, it should be set up here as the city is ideally suited. The industry should be given adequate representation on the board,” he said.

Murthy further said that after bifurcation it was imperative to shift the offices related to the fisheries sector to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad, even though the latter would continue to be the joint capital for a decade. The office of the fisheries commissioner and the State fisheries co-operative federation should be established here, he added. Further, the zonal office of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) should be set up here, he demanded.

He said chilled tuna landing centres should be established throughout the coast, but especially at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Nizampatnam. He urged the Visakhapatnam port trust to allot sufficient land for setting up the tuna landing centre and a cold storage at the fishing harbour here. He said the AIFI was opposed to the proposed move to shift the fishing harbour from here to Bheemunipatnam.

Murthy wanted amendments to AP Marine Fisheries Regulation Act in view of the recent changes in the sector. He also wanted the setting up of an integrated fishermen development agency (IFDA) along the lines of the ITDA (integrated tribal development agency).

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW