Fisheries department demands removal of all boats from Rawal Lake

Islamabad: Fisheries Department of Islamabad Capital Territory has demanded removal of all boats from the Rawal Lake which were being used for illegal fishing.

Talking to this here on Saturday, Deputy Director Fisheries, Sadiq Buzdar said that out of over 150 boats in the lake many were used for illegal fishing at night.

He demanded that all these boats should be removed from the lake as they besides causing pollution were also used as tool for illegal fishing.

He said that though officially ban has been imposed on boating in Rawal Lake but no concrete steps have been taken to implement the ban and remove the boats from the lake.

Sadiq Buzdar said that the police department was not cooperating with fisheries and it does not file FIRs against the people who not only indulge in illegal fishing but also misbehave with the staff.

He said that with the passage of time population around the lake has increased and more and more boats are appearing on the surface of the lake.

He said if the illegal fishing being done through the use of boats in the lake was stopped the department can earn upto Rs 100million per year from the licence fee.

He said despite lack of staff and required equipment his department has confiscated 1800 nets used in illegal fishing during past one year.

He said since his joining the duty as deputy director in May the department has earned over Rs800, 000 as licence fee.

He said often the fisheries department is blamed for failure to control illegal fishing but nobody takes notice of its financial constraints and shortage of staff and required equipment.

To a question he said that the two boats of the department purchased in 1980 were in very poor condition and only Rs 200 000 per annum were given for petrol purchase.

He said that he has only eight watchmen at his disposal who had to work overtime to patrol the lake.

However he claimed that despite lack of staff his department has been doing its best to control illegal hunting of fish.

Moreover, he said that there is no police check post near the lake and whenever some illegal hunters are caught they escape from the scene before police arrival.

Furthermore, he informed that if someone is caught from the Lake Secretariat police have to be approached while if someone is caught from outside the lake around Bani Gala side Bani Gala police have to be contacted.