Gosa fishermen end five-day hunger strike

“So far as their main demand of removing restrictions on fishing in Karli-Gosabara reservoir is concerned, I told them I cannot give any commitment. However, I said that I shall visit the village and look into their other demand of providing drinking water and housing scheme benefits,” collector Patel told The Indian Express on Sunday.

[related-post]

The fishermen of Gosa village had gone on indefinite hunger-strike demanding ban on fishing in Karli-Gosabara reservoir imposed in November last year be removed as it was affecting their livelihood.

However, the collector said only 60 persons of Gosa had pagadia licences for doing fishing in the reservoir by standing in water.

The reservoir is an important wetland and destination of migratory birds which land there in lakhs for wintering, local forest officers and wildlife enthusiasts say.

A bird census undertaken by the state forest department in year 2014 had estimated presence of 1.92 lakh birds of 112 species in the wetland. Threatened species like Dalmatian pelican, white-eyed pochard, peregrine falcon and greater spotted eagles were recorded at this scenic wetland during the census.

The wetland, which is under control of the irrigation department, is also nesting ground of water fowls like sarus crane and roosts of greater and lesser flamingos, demoiselle cranes, common cranes, bar-headed geese and grey-legged geese are found in Gosabara during winter. Chief Minister Anandiben Patel had visited the wetland in October last year and said that the state government will explore possibility of declaring the wetland some sort of reserve for preserving the area and checking poaching.

After the CM’s visit, then district collector of Porbandar had prohibited fishing in the reservoir stating the wetland was an important habitat of migratory birds and incidents of bird poaching had come to light. Similar ban was imposed in 2010 also.

However, leaders of fishermen said they would move court against the ban. “While the collector has told he would look into our demand, we are planning to move the Gujarat High Court against the ban on fishing in the reservoir. While they are talking about conservation of birds, they have given permission for installing wind turbines in the same area. If highway robbery becomes a concern on a national highway, we have to catch the robbers and cannot close down the highway,” Walimahmad Sida, a Congress worker who was leading the protest said.