TDP govt ignoring fishers

Vijayawada: The ruling TDP government has made the lives of the fisherman miserable by destroying their only source of livelihood, said the president of the National Fisherman Society of Andhra Pradesh G Venkatalakshmi.

Addressing the gathering, Venkatalakshmi said that the illegal sand mining was being encouraged by the TDP government on the banks of the Krishna River which had resulted in the death of a mother and her child last Friday.

She alleged that the State government has remained indifferent to the tragic incident till now. She demanded that the State government to announce ex-gratia to the family of the deceased immediately.

She alleged that the government was encouraging the sand mafia on the banks of the Krishna River where heavy machinery was being used to excavate sand leaving huge pits on the bed of the Krishna River resulting in mishaps, she added.

She alleged that S Madhavi, being a good swimmer, died along with her child due to the negligence of the government and sand mafia. Due to illegal sand mining activity, even the fish in the water was facing extinction, directly hitting the livelihood of the fisherman community very badly, she lamented.

She recalled that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has a low opinion on the community and had insulted the fisherman community at Visakhapatnam for requesting him to fulfill the promises made to them during the 2014 elections.

She alleged that sand worth Rs 7,000 crore was illegally quarried and the government failed to control it. The illegal sand mining was being carried out with the encouragement and involvement of the ruling party leaders, she alleged.