Puri: The Association of Professional Fish Farmers in Chilika has opposed the district administration’s drive to demolish all permanent fish enclosures (gheris) in the brackish water lake.
The association has threatened to launch an agitation and obstruct officials from doing their work at all government offices at Krushna Prasad from May 22 if the administration does not stop the demolition drive within 24 hours.
The district administration had recently launched a drive to raze all permanent fish gheris in Chilika in accordance with an order of the Orissa High Court.
The administration demolished several fish enclosures under Brahmagiri tehsil and Krushna Prasad tehsil May 6 and May 18 respectively.
However, the fish farmers’ association in Chilika has opposed the drive citing their traditional right to fishing activities in the lake.
The association claimed that the professional fish farmers and traditional fishermen of nearby villages have been depending upon Chilika lake since the days of monarchy.
According to the association, the state government had also allowed fish farming on 20,000 acre in Chilika while introducing a new act for the lake. It had also permitted the traditional fishermen to carry out fishing activities on a 27,000-acre area in the lake.
“We do not use chemicals for fish farming in Chilika. The embankments of permanent enclosures often save the nearby villages from natural calamities like flood. So, we request the administration to stop razing fish enclosures in Chilika,” said association president Braja Kishore Jena.
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