Fishing mafia on the rise as Pench is hit by lack of funds

Security of the Pench Tiger Reserve is at risk. With no funds released in the last nine months, the forest authorities are in a tight situation regarding funds for patrolling logistics and payments of the forest labourers. Meanwhile, the incidents of illegal fishing and attacks on the forest guards have increased.

The authority has 50 guards with no arms and vehicles. “The Centre has not released a single paisa of the Rs1.8 crore annual fund since April 2009. We haven’t been able to buy fuel for the patrolling vehicles, which are in a bad condition,” said an official.

Meanwhile, the fishing mafia is raising its head again. Madhukar Dhoke (name changed), a forest guard, who was a part of the team which nabbed fishermen involved in illegal fishing a month ago, was forced to leave his house in the civil area for initiating action against the fishing mafia. Those involved in the theft attacked his house, forcing him to shift his family to the quarters in the jungle.

The plight of the security forces does not end here. The retaliation from the fishing mafias is so powerful that the SRP jawans, deployed to help forest guards, discontinued their services a year ago. Nearly 100 forest labourers, appointed on a contract basis to help the guards, have stopped working as their salaries have not been paid.

Sources said that illegal fishing worth Rs50,000 to Rs1 lakh is taking place every day. “The Supreme Court had banned fishing in the reserve in 2004 and abolished the fishing rights of the locals. The families were rehabilitated in the neighbouring villages. However, they keep returning to Totladoh dam for fishing,” said an official.

According to Dr Mohan Jha, conservator of forest and in-charge of Pench Reserve, the delay in the release of funds has led to a rise in illegal activities. “The activities had almost stopped after October 2008. But they are rising again as the news of lack of funds and the lax security is spreading,” he said.