Lack of cleanliness and hygiene keep exporters away from Kasimedu fishing harbour
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Kasimedu fishing harbour users have been complaining about lack of maintenance inside the vast campus. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Fish exports from Kasimedu fishing harbour comprise a rather dismal quantity of the whole. The reason? The harbour scores sub-zero when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness. Recently, a video showing maggots on blood near the fish cutting line was doing the rounds on social media.
“If the waste blood from cut fish is not removed quickly, maggots form. There are no proper drains to carry and treat such liquid wastes,” said a fisherman. Harbour users have been complaining about lack of maintenance inside the vast campus. “We are forced to sell our catch at lower prices than even Cuddalore or Nagapattinam due to lack of cleanliness. The water is black and the harbour has not been dredged in ages. We wash the fish in the same water,” pointed out a fisherman.
A boat owner said that fish wastes from markets in the city are being brought to Kasimedu where they are processed and sent to companies for use in the cosmetic industry. “The waste raises such a stink that just crossing the location leaves the stench on our clothes. Though complaints have been filed with the local police, the Chennai Port’s harbour management committee and fisheries AD, no action has been initiated against these people,” said a fisherman.
The internal roads are not properly paved and connected. “The road outside the harbour has huge potholes. There is no drinking water supply since the overhead tank is still under construction. Only a small portion of a drain has been completed,” pointed out community leader Nanjil Ravi.
According to a retired Fisheries Department official, nobody knows as to who wields control over the harbour since most of it, except the auction halls, comes under the purview of the State government. The rest of it is under the Chennai Port Trust and the management committee.
“Fishermen want a clinic with a doctor and medicines and a fire station for emergencies. We don’t know whom to complain about lack of hygiene. There is so much progress in every field but for the fishing industry, especially in Chennai. Each time a new government comes, some harbour improvement project will be implemented but unless all stakeholders come together and something is done, the harbour will remain just as dirty,” he said.
Fishermen welcomed the measures undertaken by the Greater Chennai Corporation — providing new baskets to replace thermacol boxes and their cleanliness drives. “It should be done on a regular basis,” said a boat owner.
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