Drought situation pushes fishermen to the brink

Drought situation pushes fishermen to the brink
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Faced with persistent drought situation for the last three years, fishermen of Telangana are facing the worst-ever scenario in the recent decades. They want the government to come to their rescue as livelihood is at stake.

Hyderabad: Faced with persistent drought situation for the last three years, fishermen of Telangana are facing the worst-ever scenario in the recent decades. They want the government to come to their rescue as livelihood is at stake.

Following drying up of lakes, the fishermen have been facing huge losses. Since the government has taken up the task of ‘Mission Kakatiya’, the fishermen have demanded that they be provided with work in the restoration of lakes under Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNGREGS).

They said that they were badly in need of finding alternative source of income during this tough period. They ready to work take dredging, desilting and weeding out process.

The representatives of Telangana Matsyakarulu, Matsya Karmika Sangham (TMKMKS) which submitted a representation at Telangana State Fisheries Corporation asked the government to provide Rs 2,000 financial assistance to each member of society, for averting migrations from villages.

TMKMKS president M Kumara Swamy said that the Telangana was lagging behind most of the States in India in supply of fingerlings (baby fish). The fishermen societies, which require fingerlings during June-July, were forced to buy them from Andhra Pradesh by spending lakhs of rupees most of which go for transportation.

“Last year, the supply of fingerlings was delayed by several months. Finally, it was supplied between December and January,” he said.

TMKMKS general secretary Balakrishna Lellela has linked migrations from villages to the prevailing drought situation and lack of government support. “If this continues, the industry would be pushed to the brink, since the migrations and dried up lakes will only add to the ailing fishing industry,” he said.

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