Thane: 126 illegal ponds breeding banned Magur fish found in Bhiwandi

Photos: Hanif Patel

At least 126 ponds allegedly breeding banned Magur fish (clarius gariepus) were identified by senior officials during an inspection in Bhiwanditaluka of Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Wednesday.

A team comprising of sub-divisional officer Mohan Naladkar, Bhiwandi tehsildar Adik Patil, officials of the forest department, BDO and police conducted an inspection of the forest area on Tuesday, the official said. The raid was led by the Vivek Pandit, Chairman of the Committee to review the status of schemes for tribals in the state.

Pic: Hanif Patel

During the inspection, it was found that banned Magur fish was being bred in 126 ponds in around 150 acres of forest land, he said.

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The concerned officials have been asked to destroy the ponds and take action against those involved in farming of the banned fish within the next eight days, the official said.

An order also stated that strict controlling measures should also be adopted to avoid spread of exotic diseases. On January 30, 2019, the Government of Maharasthra had given specific directions to district heads to stop rearing the Indian cat fish or its hybrids.

Thane district collector Rajesh Narvekar had on September 25 formed an eight-member committee to carry out inspections and destroy ponds and breeding locations of the fish.

(With inputs from agencies and Diwakar Sharma)

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