Belekeri is a village in Ankola,

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and is known for its fish. It is approximately 6 km from Ankola. Its industrial port is used for shipping

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

and

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

to various destinations, including China. The port came to a wide media attention due to the Belekeri port scam. Belekeri port is on bank of Hattikeri River.

History

Historically, the port was used by the British. The village has ancient historical significance as it houses an inscription which is more than 500 years old. It has Jainabeera temple, which is of a great significance to the villagers.

Belekeri Port

Karnataka plans development of non-major transhipment port with Rs 3,000 crore is likely to be invested in greenfield port at Belekeri.

Belekeri Harbour

The fishing harbour is suitable for moderate weathers. If proper improvements are brought about, it can greatly increase its capacity. Government of Karnataka has planned to improve it under Public-Private partnership. Justice Santosh Hegde, the then Lokayukta of Karnataka, is also reported to have expressed his concerns over the illegal activities.

Environmental issues

The export activity caused sufferings to over 3500 people. Fishermen have also expressed concerns over damages to their fishing activities. But, pressures to start the mining and ore-exporting are on the rise in Karnataka.

Beach

Grassy lawns are a common sight. The sunsets are pleasing to the eyes. The place also has hills around. The beach is not far away from other tourist attractions like Gokarna. The nearest railway station to Belekeri is the Ankola railway station, which is about 11 km away.

References