VIJAYAWADA, April 20: With a view to protect the, environment and regularise the fish cultivation in coastal areas, the government issued GO No. 24 asking the fish growers to take permission from the state-level authorities without fail for conversion of agriculture lands into fish tanks.

Fish is grown in over 60,000 acre in Kalidindi, Kaikaluru, Mandavalli, Mu-dinepalli, Machilipatnam, Nandivada and Nagayalanka mandals of Krishna district. Fish growers are earning Rs 60,000 per annum on each acre land because demand for fish is increasing in the country for the last few years.

Due to the indiscriminate digging of agriculture lands, drinking water is getting contaminated in villages. Besides, cultivation of paddy and other commercial crops are declining. In this backdrop, the government has decided to strictly regulate fish cultivation and indiscriminate digging of lands.

As per GO 24, the fish growers have to obtain permission from the commissioner of fisheries to convert the agriculture lands into fish tanks. The government is planning to constitute committees with officials from the departments of fisheries, agriculture, irrigation, ground water and revenue etc. Besides, an environmentalist and model farmer will also be made members of the district-level committees, for which the district collector will be the chairman.

Earlier, the fish growers used to secure permission from the mandal and district level officers to convert agriculture lands into fish tanks. If the officials do not sanction permission in two months, it was considered as the permission was granted. Unless there is specific objection, the fish growers continued transforming agriculture lands into fish tanks. As a result, environment was damaged in these mandals.

The minister for animal husbandry and fisheries, Mr K. Parthasarathy, said on Tuesday that the state government had taken the decision after consulting the Central government on regularisation of fish cultivation. He said permission is must for converting agriculture lands into fish tanks otherwise the government would demolish the tanks.

The government has extended the time for regularisation of existing tanks from April 30 to May 31. It is asking the fish growers to pay Rs 200 per acre for regularisation and penalty of Rs 500 for each acre for delay.