Forgotten heroes
Ullaskar suffered immensely after being caught by the British and was sent to the Cellular jail in the intractable Andamans.
Fish lovers along the Ganges till Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj will now be able to enjoy fresh Hilsa thanks to a decision that will help the fish swim all the way from Bangladesh upstream the Ganges.
With an aim to preserve the biodiversity of the Ganges, Indian authorities have decided to open the sluice gate at Farakka Barrage higher than the current level for four hours every day. This will help the Hilsa – one of the most widely consumed fish – to swim from the salty waters of River Padma to the sweeter waters of River Ganges resulting in greater chances of spawning.
The movement of the Hilsa fish up to Prayagraj stopped after the construction of the Farakka Navigation Lock in 1976.
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A new navigation lock at Farakka was unveiled by Union Minister for Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari recently.
The navigation lock, which will be opened from June this year after the completion of its construction, will help Hilsa fish to breed in the waters of the Ganges after four decades.
The new navigational Lock on National Waterway-1 (NW-1) at Farakka, which is part of the Jal Marg Vikas Pariyojna, will cost Rs 361.35 crore.
The timing of the opening of the gates has been set after consultation with Indian Council for Agricultural Research, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Central Water Commission and the Farakka Barrage authorities. The lock will be opened according to the Hilsa mating season.
More Hilsa fish in the river will translate to more catch for local fishermen thereby resulting in a boost to the economy besides increase in the river’s biodiversity.
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