Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration’s Fisheries department Tuesday refused illegal and environment hazardous fishing activity in the portable water reservoir supplying to the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Talking to APP, Fisheries Officer Chaudhary Tariq Mehmood said the ICT Fisheries Department had auctioned fishing rights to a private contractor for Rs44.4 million for two years. However, Director General Pakistan Environment Protection Agency Farzana Altaf Shah also visited the site and declared the fishing activity harmless to the environment of the reservoir. The fish mostly used to die in the month of August due to lack of oxygen in the water, he added. “Fishing is not merely catching of fish rather at first breeding of the fish takes place which during the process involves eating of various organisms by fish that clears the water from harmful minute creatures,” he added. The ban, he said was imposed for the local people using fishing strings and hooks to bait fish at the banks of the Rawal Dam from surrounding areas of Banni Gala, Bara Kahu, Malpur and other adjoining areas as they were previously involved in the business of fishing. “The contractor is buying fish eggs own his own from Mirpur and manages the expenses of their breeding. He however, raises his concerns over fishing by the local people and resents that if they were to catch all the fish from the dam then why the fisheries department took million of rupees from him in the name of Fishing Rights,” he added. To a question, he said, “If anyone is found doing fishing in the Rawal Lake other than the contractor then he is charged of Rs 500-1000 fine whereas and in case of any native boatman his boat is confiscated and imposed fine with an overall loss of Rs 0.25 million.” He added that we have confiscated a number of boats, fishing strings and hooks during crackdown against illegal fishing in the dam and also put many of the boats on fire. He said, “Fishing in the dam by tourists and locals is not harmful rather compromises the business of the authorized contractor whereas Fisheries Department issues Angling License to the citizens for Rs200 fee and at the same moment we get over 300 applications for the license.” He said in 2008 a hatchery was formed at around 1 acre land with the funds of Rs17.5 million with a total area of five acres land acquired by Capital Development Authority (CDA) for developing the fisheries department of the federal capital which would have a proper hatchery, scientific lab, staff quarters and other required edifices. He regretted that the hatchery has been abandoned since then and no further development was made after its construction. He informed that in 2008 the government revised recruitment rules for the posts of Deputy Director and officer fisheries department while the conscription was to be carried out through Federal Public Service Commission. According to the revised rules, he said the deputy director must hold masters degree (MS) in Zoology or Botany and fisheries officer bachelors degree in Zoology or Botany with a two years training course from fisheries school Lahore. He said the Fisheries Department was in shambles as there was no hatchery, lab and technical staff available in the department unlike the Punjab Fisheries department that has not only trained staff rather proper lab and hence generating million of rupees revenue for the Punjab government. He said if the ICT fisheries department is enabled with the requisite staff, lab and facilities, adding hatchery made functional then it will boost the number of fish and improve breeding in the Rawal dam hence, it would give chance to attract tourists for fishing at Lake View Park and would give opportunities of livelihood to many people.