Reportedly, the Central Government had imposed a complete ban on fishing in the water bodies in Odisha coastal areas for two months- from April 15 till June 14, for all mechanised boats and trawlers to conserve fish stock during the breeding season. However, the traditional fishermen using small boats were exempted from the ban and allowed to fish in territorial waters.
Thousands of trawlers and boats in coastal areas of Bhadrak and Balasore that had remained non-functional during the ban period were loaded with ice and other fishing equipment. Before entering the sea, the fishermen also worshipped Goddess Ganga for a good business this year.
Similarly, the fishermen of Balaramgadi, Kasafala, Bahabalpur and Talsari jetties have already ventured into deep sea with repaired vessels and large nets.
“Fishing ban was imposed for two months. We have offered puja to the Goddess and hope a good earning comes our way this year,” said Nityananda Behera, a fisherman.
"Seeing the condition of the water, we can assume that fishing will be good and in abundance this year. But more rains would have ensured better business for us," Sanjay Das, member of Balasore Fishermen Association.
It is not for the first time that the fishing ban has been imposed as such restrictions are being imposed as per the directions of the Central Government for the past two decades to ensure conservation of fish during its breeding-period, so that fishermen get the maximum benefit.
A fishing trawler capsized on Sunday after allegedly ramming into the stationary & sunken vessel and the incident has triggered fear and resentment among fishermen, trawler staff and boat owners.
As per reports, the sunken Mongolian ship is 4 feet deep in sea and has always been a threat for fishermen. Raising concerns, fishermen have demanded removal of the ship from the sea.
“Either the port authorities should put markers on the spot where the sunken ship is positioned or they should just remove it,” said a fisherman, Chaturbhuj Kandi.
A boat owner Ashok Kumar Sahu said, “If the Paradip Port authorities do not interfere in the matter, we will definitely take to streets.”
Deputy Conservator of Paradip Port, Captain Atulya Kumar Mahapatra said, “We had marked the area as restricted so no fishing trawlers and boats are allowed to go near it. We had put marker lights at the spot, but it was stolen.”
On the other hand, Paradip MLA Sambit Routray said that an investigation will ascertain whether the trawler capsized after hitting the sunken ship.
“Hundreds of boats go into the sea every day and accident could take place for any reason. In this case, it is yet to be ascertained whether it was Black Rose which hit the trawler or something else,” said Routray.
While on its way to China, the Mongolian vessel had sunk 5 kms off the Paradip port on September 9, 2009 due to unknown reasons. It is alleged that the vessel was engaged in illegal transportation of iron-ore and other minerals by forging documents.
Fishermen community of Krushnaprasad area in Puri district are largely dependent on Chilika Lake. But, the government’s move of imposing COVID-19 restrictions to shun the spread of the virus, has left their lives in misery.
In the wake of series of lockdowns, the fishermen have now stopped venturing into the lake for their daily work. Similarly, the distress sale of fish due to the closure of markets has dashed their hopes of returning to the normalcy soon.
“The cyclone Fani scar is still afresh in our minds. All our boats got damaged in the cyclone and we are yet to redeem what we lost during the natural calamity. But now, the COVID-19 has left our future in uncertainty. Despite sending shrimps to Balugaon, Puri, we are failing to sale them,” said Pradip Kumar Pradhan, a shrimp trader.
Satyabrata Pradhan, a resident of Krushnaprasad area said, “We are leading a very miserable life due to the lockdowns and shutdowns. After suffering losses worth lakhs of rupees due to cyclone Fani, we were hopeful that life would become normal again. But this COVID-19 pandemic has put us into deep trouble.”
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
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The unmanned aerial vehicle weighing 50 kg and 8 feet in length was caught by a group of seven fishermen near Talapada estuary after it was tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
According to sources, the fishermen had gone to the sea in a motorised boat. When they cast net to catch fish, the aircraft fell into their mesh and subsequently, they brought the drone to the shore.
Raghunath Das, the owner of the motor boat said, “We spread the net but suddenly an aircraft fell into it. The net was completely destroyed due to the drone. It sounded like some engine running but later stopped and when we found that it was fitted with a transformer and battery upon inspection.”
People in large number gathered at the village to catch a glimpse of the aircraft.
Meanwhile, ITR Chandipur director Binay Kumar Das said that the testing was a routine exercise carried out by the Indian Air Force and there was no need to panic.
“It was a schedule exercise by the Indian Air Force at Chandipur. The remotely piloted target aircraft is called expendable aircraft which means after use it is disposed of into the water. It is only an empty fibre body. So usually we do not recover it.”
“We learnt that some fishermen have found it and brought it to the shore. There is no harm in it and no need to worry as it was part of a routine exercise,” he said.
Speaking about the objective behind carrying out such trials, Das said, “We carry out such exercise to check our capabilities in destroying the enemy targets when the fighters used by Indian Air Force go into war."
According to sources, the Meggitt BTT-3 Banshee, formerly the Target Technology Banshee, is a target drone developed by the British in the 1980s for air defence systems training.
The Banshee is built mostly out of composite material (Kevlar and glass-reinforced plastic) with a tailless delta wing platform. It entered service with the British Army in the mid-1980s as an aerial target for the Short Blowpipe and Javelin shoulder-launched missiles.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
https://youtu.be/NXno-toVfTA