Notwithstanding the fact that the fish landing centres along the coastline are buzzing with activity and doing brisk business during the peak season, fishermen complain of absence of basic amenities and wonder why there has been an inordinate delay in developing a full-fledged fishing harbour in the city. At present, fish landing centre near Coromandel industries is considered to be the fishing harbour, while the naturally formed landing centres near Kumbhabhishekam temple on the Beach Road and at Ameenabada near Uppada are catering to the needs of the fishermen. During the peak season, fishermen bring in to shore produce weighing about 200 tonnes every day that costs about Rs. 2 crore on an average. The quantity and business, however, reduced to one fourth during the slack season. Over 5,000 boats, including the countrymade ones, motorised and the mechanised boats venture into the sea with an average crew of five fishermen each. Less said the better about the amenities at the landing centres. There is no one to undertake dredging at these points for the smooth passage of boats from the sea to the shore. Despite making tall claims, the government did nothing to these centres and the very existence of the landing centres at Coramandel and Kumbhabhishekam is at question now, points out Dasari Satyanarayana, founder president of the Coastal Rights Protection Committee. The fishermen recall the then Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy announcing the develop the landing centre near the Coramandel as fishing harbour and sanctioning Rs. 50 lakh way back in 2004. The proposal, however, has been shelved now as the proposed harbour would become a hindrance for the expansion of the Kakinada port. Rs. 1.87 crore sanctioned’ Instead, we are now focussing on developing a landing centre at Uppalanka near Matlapalem, besides developing the existing one at Ameenabada. A sum of Rs. 1.87 crore had been sanctioned to connect the landing centres with the ADB Road and the works will be commenced very soon, P. Jaya Rao, Deputy Director of Fisheries, has told The Hindu . Instead of constructing one big harbour, we are chalking out plans to develop as many landing centres as possible to cater to the needs of the fishermen along the coast, he said.