Karachi fish harbour is all set to be developed into a modern harbour with improved handling and processing of seafood to meet world standards, as the Sindh government is expected to release the first tranche of Rs 50 million for execution of its master plan execution this week.
Sindh Planning and Development Department (P&D) is expected to release Rs 50 million of first tranche to Karachi Fish Harbour Authority to undertake a long-awaited master plan of fish harbour, officials said on Monday. The total allocation for the master plan, which will be completed in three years, is Rs 1389 million. The allocation is made under the annual development programme of fiscal budget 2012-13, officials said.
In the firs phase of the master plan, officials said, the KFHA would build firefighting system, water supply projects, water and sewerage network, external electrical work, rehabilitation of steel bridges and floating pontoons. Besides, installation of CCTV camera at harbour, stone pitching of floating check-posts, strengthening of main boundary wall of fisheries to improve the seafood landing facilities to ensure world standards of catch handling, they added.
Officials of KFHA are working on the plan which was evolved in consultation with the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak). The Nespak had designed and prepared the master plan at a cost of Rs 14 million, they said. The plan carries a project of five shrimp peeling plants on a plot of 2500 meters each, two big value-added seafood processing plants and two new big auction halls, besides two fish meat plants, officials said.
Besides, it will build a fresh dredging of the fish harbour channel, sewerage water treatment plant, laying of RCC roads, flawless drainage system, utility services and big flood lights at harbour for night operations. Officials said the harbour channel reached utmost congestion with abandoned parked boats, outgrown pollution in atmosphere and at seabed, inapt space for vessel berthing, insufficient infrastructure for fisheries landing and several problems which the master plan will help remove with its execution.
The Sindh government in its fiscal budget for 2012-13 has earmarked Rs 1.389 billion for the master plan execution to change the harbour’s existing outlook, officials said. The KFHA has decided to establish the key harbour infrastructure in the first phase, they said, adding that the rehabilitation and renovation of Karachi fish harbour external services scheme is chalked out for three years to be done in different stages.
“The KFHA intends to flourish the harbour’s basic infrastructure as a first step to modernise all other key facilities,” they said. The harbour was last rehabilitated in 1991 with financial assistance from the EU and since then there has been huge congestion. “Therefore, it has been felt necessary to redevelop the fish harbour on modern lines,” the officials said.
The harbour development in line with the master plan will also help the country get rid of the EU ban on its seafood export, officials maintained, saying the major task will be the maintenance of the harbour once master plan is implemented. The Sindh government has already allocated a fund of Rs 206 million to modify fishing boats in line with the EU specifications, officials added. “Soon after the release of funds from the P&D, KFHA will issue tenders in newspapers to invite companies for the development of harbour,” they added.
