HYDERABAD: For all its efforts at bringing together the fishermen community in the twin cities and neighbouring Ranga Reddy district under one roof, the AP Fisheries Department’s plans for the same seem to have come a cropper.The NTR Nagar Fish Market built at LB Nagar in 2008 and under the control of the AP State Fishermen Co-operative Societies Federation (AFCOF) presently, is yet to commence operations.The reason for the delay has been unanimously attributed to reluctance of fishermen communities to relocate keeping its distance and logistical hurdles in mind.But official replies to an RTI query by activist S Mahender point to an utter lack of disconnect between the department and the AFCOF over the implementation of the same.While the AFCOF pegs the construction cost at Rs 1.18 crore, the fisheries department has put it at Rs 87 lakh.And as per the AFCOF records, while the inauguration took place on 13/6/2008, the department feigns ignorance of any inauguration having ever taken place! Both the responses received by the applicant put the blame for non-commencement of operations on the Begum Bazar and Ramnagar wholesale fish merchants who expressed reservations in moving into the new market.A fisherman from Ramnagar, who didn’t want to be named, agreed with it and said that they had enough reasons to resist the move.“Fish is eaten mainly by the Muslim community in Hyderabad. For the same our present market near Musheerabad is apt for it. Why would we want to shift to LB Nagar which is so far away?” And for all the blame game going on, the final catch lies in the fact that while both the reports seem to reserve the provision of market space to only these two groups, sources within the Fisheries Department have revealed that the market is open to any fisherman wanting to sell his wares, and was not limited in any way to one or two groups.Meaning, if managed on a priority basis, the market could have commenced operations right after its construction in 2008.The Assistant Director of Fisheries, Ranga Reddy district who had responded to the RTI queries couldn’t be contacted for his response to the same.
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