Fishing mafia brazen as officials act blind

Wanaparthy: Fishing mafia is thriving in the Krishna River basin areas of Vemulapadu, Munigeman, Penchalapadu, Gummadam, Yapparla, and several villages in the Chinnambayi Mandal, such as Koppunuru,

Kaluru Ayyavaripalli, Pedda Maru, Chinna Maru, and Gudem, along with areas like Pentlavelli and Kollapur in Nagar Kurnool district. In collusion with officials, they are looting the juvenile fish stocks of the river.

At night, these mafia groups cast illegal fishing nets to catch juvenile fish in their early stages, drying them and sending them off to the black market. It has turned into a multi-crore illegal business. This is laying waste the government’s efforts to protect fish stocks by investing crores of rupees in livelihoods of local fishermen. In some areas along the river in Kollapur constituency, such as Somashila, Manchalakatta, and Malleshwaram, the use of illegal nets continues unabated. Sources say that local officials from the police and fisheries departments are receiving bribes of up to Rs 50,000 per catch from the fishing net operators.

Fishermen from Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema are reportedly being brought in to lay these illegal nets, further depleting fish stocks. This situation has raised concerns among local authorities about the inaction of higher-ups in tackling the problem. Local fishermen argue that if the officials do not take immediate action, the fish population will soon be wiped out, putting their livelihoods in jeopardy. Fishermen have pointed out that the officials who are supposed to protect the fish stocks are instead complicit in the destruction of their livelihoods by enabling this illegal trade.