Chennai is set to get a Rs 42-crore, sport fishing and eco park at Chetput, in the heart of the city.

This was among the projects the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, announced in the Assembly today including plans to upgrade the fishing harbour at Royapuram in North Chennai and subsidies to provide wireless communication equipment to fishermen.

The 15-acre Chetput lake will be developed with facilities for angling, water sports, boating and open air auditoriums. The lake shore will have a park with tracks for walkers and joggers.

A seafood restaurant and multilevel parking space will also be created, she said.

The Chief Minister announced a 75 per cent subsidy for mechanised fishing boat operators and deep sea vessels to get wireless equipment.

VHF radio equipment which cost Rs 20,000 will be provided at subsidised rates for the mechanised boats and HF radio which cost about Rs 2.5 lakhs will also get the subsidy.

There are over 5,600 mechanised boats in the State and many of them do not have such communication facilities.

Communication tower and related infrastructure will be created along the coast. An Rs 8.5 crore project will be implemented by the Fisheries Department which will also set up a control centre for communication.

This will help the boats to stay in touch with onshore facilities, link with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service to get updates on weather conditions and storm warnings.

The Kasimedu fisheries harbour will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 75 crore. The harbour has a capacity to handle about 575 fishing craft but over 1,395 boats use the space. Additional mooring space will be created, the Chief Minister said.

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