Kundapur: Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, said on Thursday that a fisheries policy would be drawn up soon to protect fisheries resources, develop fisheries harbours and promote welfare of fishermen.

He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Rs. 102-crore extension works of a breakwater channel at the fisheries harbour at Gangolli village in Udupi district.

Mr. Madhwaraj said fisheries was the main source of livelihood of fishermen and the protection of fisheries resources is everyone’s responsibility. He said the State government is responsive to the problems of fishermen and has made arrangements to provide feasibility certificates for providing kerosene to country boat fishermen who had applied for it.

He said the government would release the first instalment of Rs. 4 crore for the extension work within a week. The department will submit a new report for the construction of a fisheries harbour at Madikal, he added.

Mr. Madhwaraj then laid the foundation stone for Rs. 33-crore extension works of breakwater channel at the fisheries harbour at Koderi village. He also laid the foundation stone for the Rs. 2.8-crore reconstruction of a fisheries jetty at Shiroor Alivegadde village. He said as many as 190 houses would be built for poor fishermen under the Matsyashraya scheme in Byndoor Assembly constituency. No other Assembly constituency in the district has got more than 90 houses under the scheme, he added.

Priority will be given to maintaining high standards of construction at all the fisheries harbours, he added. The amount given as relief to fishermen in case of death in accidents will be increased to Rs. 5 lakh, he said.

Presiding over the function, Gopal Poojary, Byndoor MLA, said officials should implement programmes targeted at fishermen within a set time frame.