Stop labour work in Madhumati nallah: Fishermen

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Mir Tariq Bandipora, May 5: Concerned over the extinction of trout fishes, fishermen have demanded stopping of labour work in Madumati Nallah, famous for trout habitation, in this newly created North Kashmir district.
Hundreds of poor fishermen on Monday staged protests and demanded stopping of manual as well as machinery work in Madumati nallah. “The extraction work may prove fatal for the trout, which is found in abundance in the Nallah”, they said.Abdul Ahad Dar, representative of fishermen said "Every type of work, be it manual or machinery should be stopped forthwith in the nallah. The breeding season of trout fishes has started and the extraction work will affect it badly”.He added, "The department of fisheries used to close Nallah every year in May-June but this time around they have not closed it and are allowing extraction work”.Perturbed over what they termed callous approach of authorities, the fishermen said, “Although government spends crores of rupees to protect extinction of trout fish, but in Bandipora, the department of fisheries is not showing any seriousness in protecting this specie".One of the fishermen, Ghulam Ahmad Dar said, “Any type of movement is banned in big or small stream declared as “Trout Zone” but in Madhumati nallah the Fisheries department is allowing manual and machinery work, thus putting the trout fishes to grave risk”.Though the department has installed sign boards indicating ban of any movement near the trout zone of the Nallah, but the contactors are violating the it and encouraging the labourers to extract stones from it for construction purposes.It is here pertinent to mention that around 2000 fishermen are wholly and solely dependent on trout fishes, which they are extracting from the Nallah according to prescribed rules."The vehicular and manual movement in the trout zone area will bring down the population of fishes," said Ghulam Muhammad, a fisherman.The fishermen urged the concerned minister and Director Fisheries to ban all types of movement near the Nallah during May-June to protect trout as ensure their survival.When contacted, District officer fisheries Muhammad Sidque told Rising Kashmir, "It is due to the insistence of district administration that we have let the lower channel of Nallah Madumati open for workers".He claimed that the lower part of Madhumati nallah has not been declared as the trout zone.