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Udupi : The Ports and Fisheries ministry of State of Karnataka will give importance to protection of the coast and also give priorities to the problem of sea erosion in the coastal districts, said Kota Srinivas Poojary, Minister of Ports and Fisheries and Muzarai.

Speaking to media persons after offering bagina to the Swarna River near the Sri Siddhivinayaka Temple at Shimbra near here on Thursday, August 29, Kota Srinivas Poojary said that he would try to find out solutions to the issues in relate to harbours and jetties in the three coastal district, D.K., U.K., and Udupi.

He also said that we try our best to give all possible facilities to the fishermen like issue of diesel subsidy to mechanized boat fishermen and kerosene subsidy to traditional boat fishermen.

Answering question by media men Poojary said that his ministry had held talks with the officers of the Labour Department to bring fishermen under the unorganized sector. But it would not be possible to provide all facilities given to construction workers to the fishermen because of some legal issues. He also said that the funds collected as construction cess could be used only for the benefit of construction workers. We will hold another meeting with the leaders of fishermen community and officers of Labour department, he said.

To a query, Kota Srinivas Poojary said that the state goverhment had written to the Union government to provide compensation to the kin of seven fishermen onboard the fishing boat Suvarna Tribhuja which sunk off Malvan coast in Maharastra in December 2018. He also said that fisheries department was working with the ISRO to install communication systems in boats so that the boat operators could contact authorities during emergencies, he said.

Meanwhile Srinivas Poojary said that the government had taken steps to prevent misuse of funds provided to the temples under the Muzrai department. The annual grants of Rs 48000 each to 27,000 temples will be providing under Muzrai department. There were complaints in regard to management committees and priests of the temples that there was discrimination and delay in getting the annual grants. In order to solve this problem, government had decided to deposit the grants to the bank accounts of the temples, he said.

Another query, Kota Srinivas Poojary said that the extraction of sand had been simplified and the process of sand removal would start in Udupi district within a two weeks, he said.

K. Raghupathy Bhat local MLA was present.