MARGAO: Gross violation of wildlife protection act has been witnessed at Novor Khazan in Raia village resulting in death of birds, alleged resident of Raia Sleeton Fernandes. However, Forest Office at Margao stated that they have already warned the concerned person involved in the violation.
He said that certain fish farming persons who undertake seasonally pisciculture activities in the wetland areas have erected fine nets at a height of above three meters thereby trapping certain kinds of birds of prey like Osprey eagle and Black Parakeets which has eventually resulted in their death by strangulation.
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“It was brought to the notice of the concerned authorities such as The State Bio-diversity Board and District Conservator of Forest. Who in turn directed the village bio-diversity committee chairman to authenticate and verify. The Village Bio-diversity Committee Chairman made an inspection of the same and found the violation to be genuine and further instructed the Range Forest Officer to conduct a joint inspection”, he said.
Sleeton said this is a serious matter and calls for urgent legal action under wildlife protection. “The violators need to be dealt with utmost strictness and penalized. If not this might turn out to be an accepted norm for all pisciculture groups or fish farmers who do these activities in these unique wetlands of Goa”, he demanded.
Reacting to the above issue Range Officer at Forest Department, Margao Prakash Naik said, “Fish pond leaseholder has fixed net to protect his fish, he has been told to remove it, but as per his say due to state-level curfew doesn’t have a market for his fish so for some days he is required to protect his fish pond and has ensured that he will regularly monitor this area so that no birds get entangled in these nets”, he said.
