Nagpur: Almost a year after the controversial government resolution hiking lease rents by several times on waterbodies given for fishing purposes was issued, the government has finally has ordered a stay on it. The move has come as a respite for fishermen cooperatives whose leases were expiring this month.
The stay was granted by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after much persuasion by former MLA and Shiv Sena leader from Ramtek Ashish Jaiswal. A government order issued on June 20 and signed by Vijay Chaudhary, deputy secretary, said the GR dated June 30, 2017 regarding fishing lease rent rates of water tanks, reservoirs in the state has been put on hold by the chief minister till further instructions and orders.
According to Mannu Datta, convener, Talav Bachao Kruti Samiti, who is fighting a long battle for fishermen’s rights and has challenged the state government’s fishing policy in court, the stay will mean that till the next order is issued the leases will not be renewed .
However, Datta has thanked ex-MLA Jaiswal for taking up the matter with the CM and convincing him how the June 30, 2017 GR was detrimental to interests of lakhs of fishermen. The said order was loaded in favour of large private fishing firms with more resources who could easily get lease of large reservoirs.
Datta also pointed out that lease rents were hiked as much as six times, from Rs300 a hectare to Rs1800, which cooperatives eking out a meagre living could not afford. He was hopeful that Fadnavis would consider all aspects now and come to the rescue of small fishermen.
Trouble for them started when the Congress-led government in 2013 by a policy decision ordered that two to eight fishermen cooperatives be given fishing rights by way of auction on each water body. This was opposed by the fishermen and after sustained agitation, the new government under Fadnavis withdrew the order in 2016 and asked Chadraprakash Committee to formulate a new policy.
Strangely, the committee only endorsed the old policy and based on its recommendations, the June 30, 2017 GR was issued hiking the rates. The GR effectively drove small fishermen and old cooperatives out of business. It is said their resentment was the cause of recent defeat of the BJP in Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha bypoll.