It had been lying anchored 3
nautical miles off Kollam coast since November 2013
The dredger that broke loose
from its moorings and washed up near the Mundakkal beach in Kollam city in June
last is now being scrapped by a Kannur-based private firm under a ₹2-crore
contract tendered by the Metal Scrap Trading Corporation (MSTC), a Central
government enterprise.
The MSTC awarded the
contract following a no-objection from the Kollam Port authorities. After being
washed near the beach, it created panic in the area when sea erosion activity
got triggered. Some families living close to the area were shifted to safer
locations.
The virtually beached ship
also briefly became a tourist attraction of sorts. The dredger, Hansita, caught
in a legal tangle, had been lying anchored 3 nautical miles off the Kollam coast
since November 2013.
It was on March 26, 2013,
that the dredger Hansita, owned by Mumbai-based Megha Dredging Private Ltd.,
docked at Kollam Port for repairs on developing engine trouble en route to
Karwar.
Clearance
denied
After repairs, the port authorities
did not give clearance for the vessel to sail as the owners failed to pay port
charges of ₹40 lakh. For facilitating the launch of the State government’s
coastal shipping programme from Kollam Port in November 2013, the port
authorities moved the ship three nautical miles away.
Several attempts were made
in vain to tow the ship back into the waters from the beach area. Residents of
the area said the decision to scrap the ship had brought relief but it should
also be ensured that all scrapped materials were removed from the area, they
added.
Source:
the
hindu. 19 October 2017
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