CM Jagan forms panel to check aqua cartels

Vijayawada: Acting on complaints of aqua farmers and farmers' associations over syndicates exploiting them, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday constituted a high-level committee with ministers and senior IAS officers to look into the issue.

The panel is constituted with minister for energy, environment, forest, science and technology and mines and geology Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, education minister Botcha Satyanarayana, minister for animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries Seediri Appala Raju, chief secretary Sameer Sarma, special CS, environment and forest, Neerabh Kumar Prasad, special CS, animal husbandry and fisheries, Dr Poonam Malakondaiah and special CS, energy, K Vijayanand as members. Fisheries commissioner K Kannababu will be its Member-Convener.

Expressing anger over syndicates exploiting the aqua farmers, the Chief Minister directed the committee to look into the complaints and submit the report within a week.

He took the complaints seriously and warned that the government will not keep quiet if the farmers are put to financial losses. It is a serious matter that syndicates have been exploiting the farmers and causing them financial losses despite the Government bringing special laws to protect their interests.

He asked senior officials to take strict action against the syndicates after the report is submitted.

Earlier, representatives of aquaculture farmers and farmers' organisations met the Chief Minister and complained that businessmen, who have formed into aqua syndicates, are putting them to severe financial losses by downing the prices of aqua and increasing the cost of aquaculture feed.