Chilka fishermen serve uiltimatum on demolition of gheris

Bhubaneswar, Jun 08 (UNI) Chilka fishermen have served an ultimatum to the Orissa government to demolish all the illegal gheries inside the lake within 12 days or face the consequences.

Four Fishemen Federations under the banner of the Chilka Mastchyajibee Mahasangh (CMM) had formed a core committee to spearhead their action plan in case the government failed to demolish the illegal prawn gheries inside the lake.

Leaders of CMM, Harijan Mastchyajibee Mahasangh,Paramparik Mastchyajibee Mahasangh and Purvanchan Mastyajibee Mahasangh told newsmen here that they would be forced to demolish all the illegal prawn gheries inside the lake if the government did not act within the stipulated time.

They alleged that an unholy nexus between the corrupt officials and politicians with the prawn mafias had virtually captured the lake and undertaken extensive prawn cultivation illegally pushing lakhs of traditional fishermen to an uncertain future.

The Fishermen leaders said despite a clear cut direction from the Supreme Court, Orissa High Court and the House Committee of the Orissa Assembly to clear the lake from the illegal gheries and series of agitations by the affected fishermen, the government had taken no step to implement the orders.

The leaders further said the fishermen were harassed and put under various restriction in the name of the conservation of the migratory birds and dolphins inside the lake whereas the prawn mafias were allowed to encroach vast areas of the lake for prawn culture.

The CMM submitted eight point charter of demands before the state government and threatened to intensify their movement if the government remained a mute spectator to their genuine demands.

The demands included among other things withdrawal Chilka Bill, publication of the Soron police firing and punishment to the culprits, withdrawal of all restriction in the name of conservation of Dolphins and migratory birds inside the lake and detail report the expenditure of the money sanctioned by the Tenth and Eleventh Finance Commission for the development of the Chilka lake.

UNI DP SJC AB 2056