Move to make fisheries a `5,000-cr industry in TS

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said on Tuesday that fisheries in the State would be developed into a Rs 5,000-crore industry by adopting an integrated approach towards development of the sector.

Replying to a short discussion in the Assembly on development of fisheries in the State, KCR said that the production of fish seed in a scientific manner, release of seedlings into water, catching the fish, and effective marketing would form part of the new strategy to promote the fishing sector.

Two fishing colleges would be established next year -- one in north Telangana and the other in south Telangana. Research would be taken up in pisciculture and 400 vacant posts in the fisheries federation would be filled by the next month.

The Chief Minister said that Telangana had plenty of water. Red prawns, which were raised on a large scale in the State decades ago, would make a comeback once the lift irrigation projects were completed. The fisheries federation would take up fish seed production, their distribution to the societies, and also marketing. The federation would collect only maintenance charges and the amount realised from fish sales would be distributed among fishermen cooperative societies. The government would also enhance the financial allocation for fisheries in the next budget, he said.

KCR said that the State had potential to develop the fisheries sector into a Rs 5,000-crore industry. Upon completion of Kaleswaram and Palamuru Lift Irrigation projects, the State would have 140 KM of live storage of water to help fish farming.

The Chief Minister alleged that the fisheries sector in Telangana was ignored in the united Andhra Pradesh. Telangana was blessed with 46,500 minor irrigation tanks and they should be used for the development of fisheries, he added.

The TS government would strive for the determination of fishing rights in projects like Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar, the Chief Minister said.