T’puram: Harbour engineering department is reconsidering the design of the coastal police boat berth at Vizhinjam after portions of the newly constructed structure reportedly sank and became unstable due to strong wave action. Concerns have been raised over the durability and viability of the low-cost design adopted for the project.Officials said the berth was initially planned as a pile-supported structure, but the proposal was later dropped as estimated project cost escalated to nearly Rs 1.5 crore. The design was subsequently revised and executed using concrete blocks after the project received only Rs 50 lakh from Centre and Rs 10 lakh from state govt.“Initially, the proposal was to construct the berth using piles. But the estimated cost was around Rs 1.5 crore. Due to shortage of funds, the design was changed and a concrete block-based structure was adopted,” said a source from harbour engineering department.However, portions of the structure shifted and partially sank due to heavy wave impact, leading to criticisms that the construction method was unscientific and unsuitable for the sea conditions at Vizhinjam. Following the incident, displaced concrete slabs and blocks were shifted to the shore.Officials said chief technical examiner will inspect it in detail and a final decision on redesigning or strengthening the structure would be taken accordingly.The project was launched to address the long-pending lack of a proper mooring facility for coastal police boats operating from Vizhinjam. Presently, coastal police personnel depend largely on temporary arrangements to anchor patrol vessels, particularly during rough weather and high tidal conditions.The issue has assumed greater urgency as coastal police are expected to receive a new modern patrol boat to replace ageing vessels currently in service. Officials said a safe and durable berth would be essential for handling larger and more advanced patrol boats used for coastal surveillance and emergency response operations.The berth was constructed adjacent to the fishing harbour area to facilitate quick deployment of coastal police vessels. However, concerns were raised during construction after portions near the harbour reportedly became unsafe.Local fishermen and residents had questioned whether the concrete block-based structure would be capable of withstanding strong sea currents and wave activity in the area. Despite the setback, harbour engineering officials maintained that the project had not been abandoned and corrective measures would be initiated after receiving the technical assessment report.
