A long-felt demand of fishermen in the coastal hamlets in and around Arcottuthurai for a berthing harbour in the vicinity seems to be getting close to fruition. The Fisheries Department has reportedly invited tenders for construction of a fishing harbour at Arcottuthurai. And the State Government has already sanctioned Rs. 1.5 crore for preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR), according to department sources. In the absence of a fishing harbour at Arcottuthurai, mechanised boats owned by fishermen in and around Arcottuthurai are being berthed either in Nagapattinam or Mallipattinam fishing harbour in the jurisdiction of Thanjavur district. Construction work will start soon after approval of the DPR by the government. The project will be funded by the State Government or by the Centre under NABARD scheme, sources said, adding that the duration of the construction of the new fishing harbour with boat berthing structure and break walls may vary from six months to a year depending on the timing of the funding. Nagapattinam district, which has the lengthiest coastal stretch of 187 km next only to Ramanathapuram (236 km), has fishing harbours at Nagapattinam and Pazhayar. The work on fishing harbour at Poompuhar is nearing completion. The government had recently announced that it had sanctioned Rs. 120 crore for a new fishing harbour at Tranquebar and Rs. 100 crore for another facility at Vellapallam to berth mechanised boats and fibre glass boats.