Coimbatore: With Ukkadam Periakulam being rejuvenated, a few months ago the surplus weir of the tank was broken on the southern side of the tank. Since the Fishermen's Association at Periakulam objected to it, the work was halted and temporary arrangements were made to stop the water from flowing out of the tank by placing sacks of sand.
Coimbatore: With Ukkadam Periakulam being rejuvenated, a few months ago the surplus weir of the tank was broken on the southern side of the tank. Since the Fishermen's Association at Periakulam objected to it, the work was halted and temporary arrangements were made to stop the water from flowing out of the tank by placing sacks of sand.
With heavy rains lashing the city for the past few days and Periakulam brimming with water, unidentified miscreants removed a few sand bags on Sunday night and water started flowing out. Fishermen allege that when water flows out, fishes tend to also flow out through the narrow opening which makes it easy for miscreants to catch shoals of fish, by using smaller nets.
Rayappan of Bestheva Fishermen’s Association says, "For the lake rejuvenation project that comes under the Smart City Corporation, workers broke the surplus weir of the tank. When we objected, they stopped the work and filled it with sand which we filled later with sand bags to stop water from flowing out. Since outsiders are not allowed to fish in Periakulam, sometimes they resort to illegal ways of fishing. Last night, someone had removed the sand bags from the bottom side and water started flowing out and shoals of fish too started flowing out through the narrow outlet. People can catch fish from such outlets using smaller nets. Our fishermen saw this in the morning and we immediately closed the gap with sand bags. Severe action should be taken against such miscreants as it would drain out water from the tank completely,” he added.
The fishermen are pressing now for a permanent concrete structure since they cannot keep a vigil all the time for such miscreants. “Today after making a few calls to the Corporation officials, they pitched in and helped us in filling the breach. But we need a concrete structure to prevent such activities in the future and officials have now assured us that they would do the needful,” added Rayappan.
When contacted, Corporation officials said that steps will be taken to find those involving in such illegal activities and necessary action would be initiated after discussing with higher officials.
With heavy rains lashing the city for the past few days and Periakulam brimming with water, unidentified miscreants removed a few sand bags on Sunday night and water started flowing out. Fishermen allege that when water flows out, fishes tend to also flow out through the narrow opening which makes it easy for miscreants to catch shoals of fish, by using smaller nets.
Rayappan of Bestheva Fishermen’s Association says, "For the lake rejuvenation project that comes under the Smart City Corporation, workers broke the surplus weir of the tank. When we objected, they stopped the work and filled it with sand which we filled later with sand bags to stop water from flowing out. Since outsiders are not allowed to fish in Periakulam, sometimes they resort to illegal ways of fishing. Last night, someone had removed the sand bags from the bottom side and water started flowing out and shoals of fish too started flowing out through the narrow outlet. People can catch fish from such outlets using smaller nets. Our fishermen saw this in the morning and we immediately closed the gap with sand bags. Severe action should be taken against such miscreants as it would drain out water from the tank completely,” he added.
The fishermen are pressing now for a permanent concrete structure since they cannot keep a vigil all the time for such miscreants. “Today after making a few calls to the Corporation officials, they pitched in and helped us in filling the breach. But we need a concrete structure to prevent such activities in the future and officials have now assured us that they would do the needful,” added Rayappan.
When contacted, Corporation officials said that steps will be taken to find those involving in such illegal activities and necessary action would be initiated after discussing with higher officials.