Fish farmers
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 22 2012:
Livestock Rearing cum Fish Farmers Welfare Loktak Lake Development Co-ordinator Society, Thanga has urged the State Government not to harass the innocent villagers and fish farmers in the name of enforcement of law and order.
A large number of fish farmers today staged sit-in-protest and took out a rally at Thanga Chinglak Bazar against State Government's directive of closing down of CAGE Farms and burning down of fish huts.
Society president H Gulamjat said, fish farmers of the area, with assistance from the State Fishery Department, have been successfully running CAGE Farms since 1993 at Thanga Manung Pat.
However, the State Government has recently asked to close these farms numbering around 80 which serve as the only livelihood of hundred of fish farmers and their families, he added.
After the directive, he added, the State Government authorities not only burned down fish huts but also damaged fishing tools and nets.
Saying that Rs 2.15 lakhs is the cost of one farm, Gulamjat added that the State Government has slapped a loss of around Rs 16,12, 5000 to poor fish farmers in the name of enforcement of Loktak Protection of Act.
Maintaining that CAGE farms are being run with new technology inputs provided by the Fishery Department, he added that these farms control outgrow of water hyacinth and keep lake water clean.
The president also urged the State Government to allow running of these farms by amending Loktak Protection Act as fishing is the only occupation of the villagers of Thanga.