Pic: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 1: Harish Putran, president, and Naveen Salian, general secretary, of Moola Nadi Meenugarara Sangha here, addressed a press conference on Friday January 1, expressing grave concern about the problems faced by the fishermen due to the sand extraction activity in the river.

They said that since ages, fishermen families have been undertaking traditional fishing by entering the Gurpur river. Many women engage in collecting sea shells, prawns, molluscs etc. However, of late, sand extractors have increased the depth of the river as a result of which the traditional fishermen and women are unable to enter the river in boats for some distance and then get down on the riverbed to pick fishes as in the past. In the past, they could negotiate their boats for long distances in the river by just using a bamboo pole but now because of the depth, this is not possible. As the anchors and fixed rods planted by the sand extractors remain there for long, the nets of the fishing families get damaged, they rued.

Because of the activities of the sand extraction, saline water is entering wells of households nearby and the villages are covered by dust and smoke because of their vehicles. The river is also being robbed of the natural mosses on which the fishes feed on, thus affecting fish growth. They said that effluents from Ruchi Gold industry near Kulur directly flows into Gurpur river, pollutes it and destroys fishes in the river.

They said that the representations made earlier to the deputy commissioner, mining and geology department, fisheries deputy director and environment department have not evoked any response. Therefore they have urged the officials to take action now, failing which they have warned of undertaking more intensive forms of protest against the injustice.