Fishing Communities Need Right Over Water Bodies - National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers
Fishing Communities Need Right Over Water Bodies - National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (I) Demands in Press Conference at Delhi
Pradip Chatterjee,
National Convener of the Platform said that the small and traditional fishing
communities are by far the largest primary non-consumptive stakeholders of our
water bodies including the seas, rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, tanks and
ponds as well as their natural custodians as Good Fish needs Good Water. But
there is no recognition of the fishing communities.
They have no visibility.
Fisheries or fishing communities have no mention in the National Water Policy
of the country. Water bodies and their waters are being used, encroached,
consumed and polluted without even informing the fishing communities, let alone
taking their informed consent. This is because the fishing communities have no
legal right over the waters on which they live. The farmers, the share croppers
and even the agricultural labourers have legal right over agricultural land
and/or livelihood based on that land but the fishers and fish farmers have
none.
The small and
traditional fishing communities need right over water bodies -
Pradip Chatterjee then
accused the ruling political parties for their failure to keep their promises
to the fishing communities. In 2014 BJP published its National Policy on
Fisheries. It was the only national political party to have a policy on
fisheries. Many prescriptions were made in it for protection and promotion of
small scale fishing communities’ life and livelihood. Precious little has been
done during the 5 years of BJP Government.
On the contrary the small scale
fishing communities are facing devastation due to projects like Sagarmala,
Industrial and Economic corridors, Merchant Shipping Corridor, River Linking,
National Waterways. Statutory instruments for protection of natural resources
and natural resource based livelihood are being continuously changed to make
ways for business and corporate houses. Indiscriminate installation of
industries, power plants and large tourism are lacerating and poisoning the
surface water resources. Schemes under Blue Revolution and Blue Economy are
pushing out the fishing communities and promoting investors and entrepreneurs.
He also said that
similar treatment was meted out to the fishing communities by the Congress
party as well. He cited the example of Coastal Regulation Zone Act, promised in
2011 by the then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh of Congress Government with
no action in the next 3 years of its tenure. He also mentioned the Fishing
Communities’ Rights Act, the need of which was stated by the then prime
minister Manmohan Singh in 2012 with no action in the next 2 years of its
tenure.
Fishing communities
refuse to be laid by the false promises and tall talks of the political parties
–
Fishing Communities
will Judge Political Parties Not by their
Promises but by their Actions.
Representatives from
fishing community organisations of different states presented the situation of
their respective states. Dr. Gulam Rasool from
Jammu & Kashmir described the plight of the fishing communities who are
being evicted from the Dal and Ular lakes of the Kashmir valley to make way for
tourism. He also mentioned drastic reduction in the stock of fish in rivers
like Jhilam, Chenab and Leader due to pollution and power plants.
D. Pal from the
Democratic Traditional Fishers and Workers Forum of Andhra Pradesh spoke of the
loot of fish by the mechanised fishing boats in the sea, devastation of
fisheries by oil explorations in the KG Basin and other areas, rampant
encroachment of the coastal land and waters by ports, tourism and aquaculture,
destruction of river fisheries due to pollution and other water uses and
corruption in the fisheries cooperatives.
Oinam Rajen Singh of
the All Loktak Lake Area Fishermen’s Union of Manipur stated the threats faced
by the fishing communities of Loktak Lake due to rampant pollution and anti
fishing community laws as well as state sponsored tourism. He spoke of the
resistance of the fishing communities against the state government attempts to
evict them from Loktak lake.
Hemen Das from
Jharkhand spoke of the reduction of fish stock in the rivers like Sone
and Koel due to construction of dams and the eventual migration of fishing
communities to other occupations and areas.
Narayan Haldar from
the Odisha Matsyajibi Forum (OMF) mentioned the extreme difficulties of the
fishing communities due to fishing ban in protected areas like Bhitarkanika and
Gahirmatha. He also spoke of the destruction of river fisheries due to severe
pollution and use of river water for various consumptive purposes like
agriculture, industry and municipal use.
Milan Das from
Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum of West Bengal spoke of the ban and restriction
on fishing in the Sundarban forest areas, loot and destruction of fish stock in
the sea by mechanised fishing boats, devastation of river fisheries, usurpation
of fisher cooperatives by vested interests and insecurity of tenure of small
fish farmers.
Soumen Ray, National
Coordinator of the Platform, requested all concerned to be sensitive to the
demands of small scale fish workers not only for the fishing communities, but
also to protect water bodies, fish and fish resources.
Pradip Chatterjee
informed all concerned that the National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers
will approach the new government after the parliamentary elections with the
charter of demand of small scale fish workers.
Dipak Dholakia, Delhi
Coordinator of the National Platform had arranged for the Press Conference.
