Paradip, Jan. 1:Tardy pace of progress of the fishing harbour here has sparked off resentment among the stakeholders, traditional marine fishermen and the fishing vessel operators.

Though the harbour has been made free from Paradip port's administrative control since past three years, the much-touted harbour refurbishment project has failed to pick up pace.

'The harbour is wallowing in neglect. Despite grants, sanctioned by the Union agriculture ministry, it is yet to get the facelift. Measures to revamp the sanitation network are yet to be taken,' rued Amarjit Jena, working president of the Paradip Marine Primary Fish Production and Marketing Society.

Earlier, the harbour remained under the dual administrative control of Paradip Port Trust and the state marine fisheries department. On September 27, 2011, the port trust stayed away from harbour management.

However since then, things have hardly moved in the right direction. The grants of Rs 4.75 crore are yet to be fully utilised. As a result, the sanitation and hygiene standard of the harbour has gone from bad to worse,said co-operative society president Subodh Kumar Biswal.

The state government had formed a harbour management committee for its effective functioning. However, the governing body meeting of the panel has been convened only once in the past three years, while it is mandatory for at least one sitting in every six months, said Biswal.

'Our society is empanelled as a member of the harbour management committee. We had sought approval for diesel filling station in the harbour area for meeting with the requirement of sea-bound trawlers. The Indian Oil has accorded sanction to our proposal. But, the committee is yet ratify it. As a result, trawler operators are put to great hardship,' he said.

The Paradip fishing harbour, which is the state's major exporting centre of marine fish produce, faced threat of export ban by the international fisheries bodies in the face of poor infrastructure.

The harbour refurbishment project is being executed in a phased manner. The fish auction hall has been fully renovated. Developments of the parking area, fishing collection centre and public toilets have been carried out. However, works such as effluent treatment plant, drinking water supply system and independent power supply network are yet to be taken up. 'The department will execute the incomplete infrastructure project within next six months,' said district fisheries officer Gyan Ranjan Samal.

The auction hall is the most vital component of the harbour as trading of fish produce takes place here.

After the renovation, it has got a facelift. Emphasis has been laid on modernising the sewerage and drainage system. The storage facilities for the fish produce are also being enhanced. An advanced effluent treatment plant to maintain sanitation and cleanliness in and around the harbour is also being installed, said Samal.

'We have prioritised the work to revamp the harbour to meet with the European Union's hygiene and sanitation specifications on export of marine produces. The Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for Fishery, which carries out the development of fishery harbours and brackish water shrimp farms across the country, is providing technical expertise of the infrastructure development project,' he said.