Fishermen take to the streets for the "fishing out justice"
Over 2,000 angry fishermen claim ‘outsiders’ are not allowing them to fish in Ujani reservoir, block the Pune-Solapur Highway for 2 hrs demanding govt action and handing over control of dam to Fisheries dept
A day after angry farmers stormed Market Yard to protest the plummeting onion prices, it’s now the turn of fishermen to take centrestage. An irate mob of over 2,000 fishermen blocked the Pune-Solapur Highway for two hours, forcing the traffic police to divert traffic through Baramati on Friday morning.
Another 1,000 people rounded up the Irrigation department office in Bhimanagar, shouting out slogans. The mob was demanding that their rights of fishing in the backwaters of the Ujani Dam — built on the Bhima river — be restored and the dam be transferred under the Fisheries department.
Their problems
The dam is located on the border of Pune and Solapur districts, 160 kms from the city. For the last few years, the fishermen are claiming that their traditional business is suffering and that they are not being allowed to fish at the location. They claim the Fisheries department is handing out fishing contracts to ‘outsiders’, resulting in losses for them.
They allege that businessmen and their goons from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar take away a majority of the fish, leaving the locals with negligible catch.
They are also unhappy with the government order dated May 26, 2008, which stated that the dam was being taken over by the Irrigation department. The reason given was that the dam is under threat from Bangladeshi fishermen.
Digambar Bhoir, a resident of Kumbhargaon, said, “Nobody allows us to fish here. If we put our nets in the water, a gang damages them. Buying new nets is an expensive affair. There was a time when we would catch 150 to 200 kg of fish in a day. Now, if we get even 100 fish, it’s a big deal. These days, we earn Rs 20-50 per day. Sometimes, we get nothing and have to sleep on an empty stomach.”
Another fisherman, 40-year-old Ramsingh Salle from Chincholi gaon, said he and his wife were attacked by men armed with choppers early on Thursday morning when they went to collect their catch. Salle is so traumatised by the current problem that he doesn’t want this kids to follow in his footsteps.
“Last week, when our sons got into the water to fish, my husband shooed them away from the scene saying ‘go home and study’. Fishing will only leave us with an empty stomach and a lost battle,” Salle’s wife said.
Usman Kale (35), a resident of Diksar village, said, “We have been fishing since many generations. It is our only source of livelihood. Now that is being snatched from us. What we are to thrive upon?”
The arrests
At the time of going to the press, the police had started arresting the protesters and bail was also being given on the spot.
While the crowd dispersed and voices dimmed with the dusk descending, the fishermen returned to their homes hoping that some day their woes would end.
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