The Karnataka government will send a delegation to Lakshadweep to impress upon the administration there to build a jetty exclusively for Lakshadweep at Old Mangalore Port.

Addressing presspersons in here on Monday, JR Lobo, MLA from Mangaluru (South), said an exclusive jetty for the Lakshadweep administration at Old Mangalore Port will help improve the trade between Mangaluru and Lakshadweep.

Stating that a major portion of Lakshadweep’s trade was with Mangaluru till a few years ago, he said it went to Kerala because of various reasons in the past few years.

Though the Lakshadweep administration had proposed the construction of a jetty at a cost of ₹68 crore, the project did not materialise. A jetty exclusively for Lakshadweep will help improve trade and economic activities between the two regions.

Infra projects On the other developmental projects at Old Mangalore Port, Lobo said that infrastructure development projects worth ₹65 crore will be taken up at Old Mangalore Port. The Centre will contribute ₹25 crore to this project. The State government will have to bear the remaining amount for this project.

Stating that capital dredging activities will be taken up at a cost of ₹29 crore at Old Mangalore Port, he said the Centre has agreed to sanction 50 per cent of the cost. The proposed dredging will help deepen the draft from the 4 metres to 7 metres, he said.

On the need to improve infrastructure for fisheries boats at Old Mangalore Port, he said the Central and State governments had agreed to take up the expansion of fisheries harbour at a cost of ₹57.60 crore in the ratio of 60:40 in 2010. The Centre has contributed only ₹13 crore for this project till now.

The project could not be completed because of various factors. Now the cost of project has been escalated to ₹83.55 crore.

Stating that the Centre is not willing to provide its share in the escalated amount, he said it should adhere to contributing its share of 60 per cent to the total project cost.

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