The state cabinet on Wednesday approved an upward revision of the Sassoon Docks modernization project from Rs 52 crore to Rs 96 crore. The project got the cabinet’s nod in 2016, but work is yet to start. The cost escalation has been attributed to changes in certain project elements. “With approvals in place, work will start this month, said Mahadev Jankar, Maharashtra’s minister of fisheries, dairy development and animal husbandry. The project is supposed to take three years to execute. Officials said that earlier the plan was only to refurbish the existing auction house, but now the entire hall will be reconstructed and enabled for air-conditioning. The revised plan includes laying water pipelines for supply from the BMC, whereas at present sea water is used. A sewage treatment plant too has been proposed, which was not a part of the original plan. We are proposing to use the latest technologies to make the fish landing site as one of the most modern in the country, said a senior official from the fisheries department. The modernization project will be executed by the fisheries department, along with the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). After the project, Sassoon will become one of the best docks in the country. We plan to install all modern facilities to ensure cleanliness, said Jankar. The plan includes a deepening of the old Sassoon and Victoria basins so that trawlers can be berthed. A conveyer belt will be installed to transport fish from the trawlers to freezers. An ice-making plant will be installed to keep catch fresh; currently, ice is sourced from outside. Under the masterplan, the government has proposed to start seafood outlets near the docks’ entrance to promote Koli food. There is some vacant space near the entrance of the docks. The proposal is to convert that area to a food court, with fresh seafood on the menu, said another official. The area of the docks is 5.39 hectares and 972 fishing trawlers use the facility to bring to shore 48,000 metric tonnes of fish annually. The plan also makes way for changing rooms and a cleaning area for the more-than-10,000 fishermen who work there.