The revenue department officials, headed by district collector P Marykutty, have raided some of the illegal ‘African mushi’ (Magur – Clarias gariepinus) farms in Chittur taluk as they were polluting water and air and encroaching into paddy farms and river banks. The collector said here on Wednesday, “Actions were initiated against the cultivation of African mushi last year but due to the failure of the fisheries department to ban them some fish farmers had obtained stay from the courts”. A special meeting of the officials of the departments of fisheries, revenue, agriculture, irrigation, local administration and pollution control board was held at the collectorate on Monday. The officials decided to take joint action against the illegal cultivation of banned magur, locally known as African mushi in Chittur and Kollengode blocks. The collector said, “During the raids it was found that these illegal fish farms were functioning by converting paddy fields and in some cases encroaching into the river banks. They were also letting out the waste to the nearby Korayar river at Elapully, Nallepully and other areas of Chittur. They were also throwing the dead fish and other waste in the open and on roadsides at Chittur. The department of fisheries was asked to seize the fish farms if it was found that they were cultivating the banned fish species., the collector said. The rearing of the exotic magur was banned in the country as back as in December 1997. The illegal farms were found in Kozhinjampara, Vadakarapathy and Polpully villages in Chittur and Pudussery and Kanjikode villages in Palakkad taluks, the district collector said.