Vellapallam harbour project work stalled as approval is awaited for revised estimate

Road laying work, drinking water pipeline installations, and other basic infrastructure activities in the coastal hamlet of Vellapallam in Vedaranyam taluk have come to a halt for nearly a year as the fishing harbour project there remains stalled pending approval of a revised estimate of ₹100 crore.

The fishing harbour at Vellapallam was sanctioned in 2019 at a cost of ₹132 crore under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) scheme. Envisaged to improve the livelihoods of thousands of fisherfolk along the delta coast, the project is now about 80% complete, officials said.

However, the work had slowed considerably due to technical challenges posed by the unique soil conditions along the coastline. Officials have since submitted a revised estimate seeking an additional ₹100 crore to complete the harbour.

With the proposal yet to receive approval, the remaining harbour work as well as several related civic infrastructure activities in the village — including roads dug up for pipeline installation and drinking water connections — have remained incomplete.

Fishing is the primary source of livelihood in Vedaranyam taluk, with about 9,176 fishermen from Vellapallam and nearby villages depending on the sea. The fishing fleet comprises eight mechanised vessels, around 490 fibre-reinforced plastic boats, and nearly 80 catamarans.

Once completed, the harbour is expected to accommodate 100 mechanised fishing vessels and 500 FRP boats, enabling safer landings and year-round fishing operations.

For residents, the delay had compounded daily hardships along a coastline dominated by what officials describe as “silky clay” loose soil, which makes launching and landing boats extremely difficult.

“We are small fishers; fibre boats are our only assets,” said M. Ilayarani, a fisherwoman from Vellapallam. “But now the shore drains our energy and earnings. We have to pay around ₹200 each time a tractor pushes the boat into the water and pulls it back. When the catch is poor, we return home already in debt.”

Officials in the Fisheries Engineering Department said the problem was linked to sediment deposits from the Vennar basin. The shallow gradient of the seabed allows fine clay to accumulate along the coast, and nearly 70% of the massive breakwater stones laid as part of the harbour work had sunk to the seabed.

Women engaged in shore-based fishing activities say the absence of a functional landing centre had made their work physically demanding.

Residents also point to a continuing drinking water crisis in the village. Vellapallam, home to around 580 families, does not have a reliable piped water supply despite pipelines having been laid years ago under various schemes.

With groundwater turning saline and a public well defunct, villagers depend on a borewell located inside a nearby government high school nearly half a kilometre away.

“When we ask for roads, pipelines or any other infrastructure work, officials tell us that the harbour construction has to be completed first. They say if the roads are laid now, they will be damaged when heavy vehicles pass through for the harbour works. But when we ask when the harbour will be finished, they say they have no idea. We are caught in between,” Ms. Ilayarani said.

Officials from the Fisheries Department said the project could move forward once the revised estimate is approved. A senior official from the district administration said the issue would be looked into.