Kulgam ,15-Sep; Illegal fishing in Vishow Nallah area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district goes on unabated, and in the face of tall claims of the Fisheries department.Miscreants use different means to catch the fishes in Nallah in different areas.Reports suggest that people have been seen using bleaching powder and even electric current to kill the fish.The experts opine that use of chemicals for killing fish caused extensive damage to the ecology and habitat of the trout fish in Vishow Nallah. According to them, use of chemicals has adversely affected the fish production. “It also endangers human life,” they said.A local said that bleaching powder becomes very effective at this point of time when the flow is mild. The locals said that the bleach powder is mostly available with the PHE department however it is surprising where from these miscreants manage to get the chemical powder.”The powder is available in plenty at the PHE department which uses it for chlorination of water but we fail to understand how it reaches to these miscreants” a top official of fisheries department told The locals said that they repeatedly appealed concerned departments to take legal action against this mafia, but no action was ever taken against the mafia.Assistant Director Fisheries Kulgam, Sidiq Wani told that strict action will be taken against those responsible for the act. “We have already received information that some of our employees are hand in glove with the sand mafia. They will be identified and punished,” he said.He blamed the Public Health Engineering Department for allowing the “misuse” of the powder. “Fisheries Department has already in a communiqué to PHE Department warned about the misuse of bleaching powder.”(CNS)
