The construction of river training walls and additional infrastructure at the fish landing centre in Chandirapadi village, Tamil Nadu, is progressing rapidly and is set to finish by March 2026, well before the original deadline of December next year. This Rs 32-crore project, funded by NABARD through the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department, aims to enhance coastal protection and upgrade fish landing facilities for the local fishing community relying on the Nandalar estuary.
Chandirapadi, a traditional fishing village with around 2,895 fisherfolk utilizing 13 mechanised boats and 212 fibre boats, heavily depends on the estuary and landing facilities for their livelihoods. The ongoing project involves constructing stone pitching river training walls on both sides of the river, a boat berthing jetty, and dredging to enhance navigability, with significant progress already achieved.
The project, which started in February 2025, has reached about 75% completion, with work on the jetty currently ongoing. Dredging is expected to start within a month, with substantial portions of the river walls already finished. Previously, a fish landing centre was built at Chandirapadi, inaugurated in August 2024, including various facilities like a boat berthing jetty, a fish auction hall, and road connectivity.
The fishing community in Chandirapadi has expressed satisfaction with the project’s pace, anticipating reduced reliance on distant harbours once the new infrastructure is fully operational. This development aligns with the villagers’ longstanding request for the construction of short groynes along the coast to combat sea erosion, a proposal awaiting a bathymetry survey by a team from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in January 2026.
