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Chinese Fishing Nets a Vanishing Legacy
(November,  2002)

          KOCHI: Chinese fishing nets, one of the main tourist attractions of Kochi, is more or less a vanishing legacy and may soon remain only a memory. The reason is that many fishermen are giving up the profession for other lucrative vocations.

           These nets have huge operational and maintenance costs, and increasing water pollution is hazardous to their operation. As a result, there are only about 12 Chinese fishing nets operating as on date.

           Built of teakwood, these nets were erected between 1350 and 1450 AD by traders from the court of Kubali Khan. A sum of Rs. 3-4 lakh is needed to make a Chinese net with a teak frame and around Rs. 80,000 for its maintenance. Raising the net means hard labour and it requires at least five workers to run the nets on two shifts.

          According to Simon, owner of one of the nets, "people are giving up the profession as there is neither any Government allowance, nor any other benefit. Either there should be some kind of help from the Government like bank loans, insurance or the people who are working for it should get free ration during monsoons".

           He added: "Unless the Government pays some attention, the traditional nets will die an unnatural death. If it has to be preserved, then the Government should provide some subsidy or loans to the owners and the workers should also be involved in it".

           And the catch is nowhere near the money and effort that is put into it. Earlier, fish worth Rs. 100 or more could be caught in just a single dip but now even continuous dips prove futile. This has resulted in dissatisfaction among the workers. Another major threat is the polluted waste thrown out from the chemical and fertilizer factories, oil spillage, ship waste etc., which in turn kill thousands of fish. The weeds that come in bulk also pose a threat to these nets as the poles and the nets break due to the huge weights.

           The owners of these nets feel that if the situation does not improve, then, within probably three years, these nets won't be used or seen anymore.

Rail Track Through Rajaji Park an Elephant-Killer (Go to Top)

          DEHRA DUN: A railway track running through the Rajaji National Park in Uttaranchal has become a virtual death trap for elephants in the park.

          The track, which poses a threat to the elephants even when it is regularly patrolled by forest guards, has become more dangerous since patrolling was suspended some months ago. "We patrol these tracks to prevent casualty of elephants crossing the tracks. Patrolling has been withdrawn since June 30," said RS Saini, a forest guard.

           But forest officials say that patrolling is generally suspended during the monsoon as elephants don't move around much during the rainy season. It was once again due to start later this month when the monsoon season gets over as per the official calendar. But, in reality, it has been nearly two months since the rains stopped.

           According to conservationists, lax patrolling of tracks has led to the death of more than 20 elephants in the last 10 years. On two occasions such accidents also led to derailment of trains. Earlier this year, a baby elephant had died after it was hit by a train.

           Several trains run through the forest everyday, causing frequent accidents. And the park is home to about 450 wild elephants. Forest guards said most of the train hits take place at night. Moreover, the track passing through the park has sharp curves making it difficult for the pachyderms to sight an oncoming train.

          Forest and railway officials had decided on fencing parts of the track, but the project did not materialise because of differences over who would provide the funds. "It was proposed that there should be fencing using old rails between Hardwar and Raiwala. But the railway officials refused to commit themselves to any funds for the project. They had said they would go back to their superior officers for advice. But nothing has been done so far on this," said JP Kandwal, Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttaranchal.

           Rajaji National Park, spread over 820 square km and ensconced in the Shivalik hills, has a 18-km railway line passing through it connecting State Capital, Dehra Dun, with the holy city of Hardwar

           Earlier this year, park authorities had started a heavily-funded plan under which night patrolling was intensified. Accidents even after that proved that the vigil was not effective.

           The park was declared an elephant sanctuary in 1991-92 under Project Elephant, a Government of India scheme to protect the Asian elephant. Besides elephants, the national park has tigers, leopards, spotted deer, wild boars, sloth bears, barking deer, porcupines, jungle fowl hornbills and pythons. Of the global population of 45,000 Asian elephants, more than half are found in India.

-ANI

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