Farmers demand immediate relief and compensation to victim farmer
Reyaz Rashid
Sultanpora Kandi: In a shocking incident, a woman fish farmer suffered a huge loss after some miscreants allegedly mixed fungicide or pesticides into the water resulting in the death of thousands of fishes in her trout fish farm at Sultanpora Kandi in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The incident has left the farmer Rubeena Akhter wife of Tahir Ahmad Lone of Sultanpura Kandi in Baramulla devastated as she is struggling to cope with the losses incurred.
According to locals, the farmer had invested a significant amount of money and resources into setting up the fish farm aiming to sell first hatch during Holy month of Ramadhan. However, the miscreants’ have dashed his dreams as she suffered huge losses.
“Being an educated unemployed woman I started this project to my earn livelihood. Yesterday I feed my fishes normally but today morning I saw my fishes floating over the water in farm. I informed concern department authorities who instructed me to lower the water level. However, all fishes in my unit died. All this happened because some fungicide or pesticide sprayer has mixed pesticide in the water while filling his tractor tank,” Rubeena Akhter said.
The farmer reportedly discovered the incident early in the morning when she found scores of dead fishes floating in the water. Upon closer inspection, she found traces of fungicide or pesticides in the water, indicating that the incident was not a natural occurrence.
The farmer immediately alerted the local fisheries authorities, who sent a team to the spot and launched an investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, the farmer has suffered significant losses with estimates indicating that the damage in lakhs of rupees.
Locals and farmers have demanded immediate compensation to the victim fish farmer woman and her rehabilitation so that she would reestablish her unit.
Speaking about the incident, neighboring farmers expressed his shock and dismay, stating that they had never expected such an act of vandalism to occur.
Meanwhile, Assistant Director Fisheries, District Baramulla Sopore has constituted a committee to ascertain the factual position about mortality of live stock of trout fish farm.
The order bearing number No: ADF/Bla/2022-23/2456-59 Dated: 24-03-23 reads, “In order to have factual position a committee is constituted to have a visit of the site and send a detailed report to this office within two days for further course of action.”
The incident has raised concerns among other fish farmers in the area, who have called for increased security measures to protect their farms from similar incidents. The local authorities have assured the community that they are taking the matter seriously and will take all necessary steps to bring the culprits to justice.