22 fishermen drowned in Himachal reservoirs in 5 yrs: Minister

Himachal Pradesh Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister Virender Kanwar on Wednesday said twenty-two fishermen have drowned in the reservoirs of the state in the last five years.

Replying to a calling attention motion in the state assembly by independent MLA Hoshyar Singh, Kanwar said of the 22 fishermen who died in different reservoirs, six drowned in 2015-16, seven in 2016-17, three in 2017-18, four in 2018-19 and two so far in 2019-20.

The government is concerned about the safety of fishermen in Himachal Pradesh and will ensure that they are provided safety equipment like boats, life jackets and tubes. the minister said.

Kanwar, who also holds the portfolio of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department, told the house, on the third day of the winter session, that there are currently a total of 5,489 fishermen in Gobind Sagar, Col Dam, Chamera, Ranjit Sagar and Pong Dam reservoirs.

The government is providing safety and rescue equipment to the fishermen in a phased manner under a Rs 11 crore project, he added.

The minister said that 250 fishermen would be provided equipment including advanced boats, thread and net in the current financial year.