Posted on October 6, 2025
Thiruvananthapuram: Dredging operations to increase the depth of the river mouth at Muthalapozhi are progressing rapidly and are expected to be completed within two months, District Collector Anu Kumari informed the Kerala State Minority Commission.
The update came during a sitting of the commission held at its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, where Chairman A A Rasheed reviewed several petitions and took up the suo motu case related to the recent series of accidents at Muthalapozhi.
To ensure a long-term solution to the recurring problems at the port, including extending the southern breakwater, the project has been included under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with an administrative sanction of ₹177 crore. The Collector said that tenders have been finalised and work contracts awarded. Once completed, these efforts are expected to provide a permanent remedy to the hazards at Muthalapozhi.
Based on the collector’s report, the commission directed the authorities to take all necessary steps to complete the works within the stipulated time frame.
Officials from the fisheries department and the district administration also informed the commission that fishermen affected by recent coastal erosion in the capital’s coastal areas —where houses were damaged and boats destroyed—have been rehabilitated, and compensation procedures are underway.
The commission took up the suo motu case following media reports alleging inadequate response from certain departments to the worsening coastal erosion across the state.
