The state Fisheries Department is providing subsidised fishing infrastructure to fishermen earning their livelihood by catching fish in the Pong reservoir in Kangra district but in the absence of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), hundreds of fishermen are risking not just their lives but also endangering the lives of others who enjoy boat riding in their obsolete wooden boats.
Fiber fishing boats needed “The state government should provide fiber fishing boats and light-weight lifesaving jackets to fishermen so that they can ensure their safety while fishing in the reservoir. Kuldeep Singh, general secretary, fishermen association”
Recently, a girl drowned in the reservoir near Sihal in Fatehpur subdivision of Kangra when an obsolete wooden boat of a fisherman capsized. The local swimmers rescued five women and two children, who along with the deceased girl, had come to the lake for a boat ride. Such mishaps during boat rides or fishing have been occurring not only in the Pong reservoir but also in the Gobind Sagar Lake in Bilaspur for the past one decade. Visitors and tourists from neighboring Punjab visiting the Pong Reservoir have urged the state government to frame SOPs for boat riding and ensure safety of riders and fishermen.
Inquiries reveal that the state Fisheries Department has provided lifesaving jackets to some fishermen who used to catch fish in the Pong reservoir under the Prime Minister Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) but the authorities concerned have never ensured whether these jackets are being used by the fishermen or not.
As per information, while procuring these jackets, a Rafting Technical Committee member serving in the Regional Water Sports Centre, Pong Lake, had rejected the quality of the jackets as they were heavy and uncomfortable for fishermen while fishing.
There is also no proper check on the obsolete wooden boats being used in fishing in the reservoir. The fishermen have demanded fiber boats as these are considered safer and lighter than wooden boats being used by them. Kuldeep Singh, general secretary, Fishermen Association, has urged the state government to provide fiber fishing boats and light-weight lifesaving jackets to fishermen so that they could ensure their safety while fishing in the reservoir.
Sat Pal Mehta, Director, Fisheries, Bilaspur, said the department had provided 1,798 lifesaving jackets to fishermen. He said the fishermen were allowed to use their traditional wooden boats for fishing purpose only and were not authorised to use them for visitors’ rides in the reservoir. He said as per official record, 2,698 fishermen of 15 fisheries cooperative societies were currently registered with the department. “Barring the last two fishing seasons during Covid, they have deposited Rs 74,49793 as fishing royalty with the state exchequer,” he said.