The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday formed a three-member sub-committee to protect fishing department. Committee chairman Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that the sub-committee would give recommendations for streamlining the matters relating to the fisheries department. He directed the Sindh government to bound owners of factories to install sewerage treatment plants and the non-complying factories be closed within six months. He said that the concerned department should impose a ban on fishing during the breeding season and its use in producing poultry feed. The chairman urged the federal government to spend the revenue generated from the fishing industry for ending sea pollution in collaboration with Balochistan and Sindh provinces. He said the federal and provincial governments should prepare projects to end the sea pollution. Pervaiz Malik said that sea pollution was a very serious issue which needed to be addressed with the coordination of federal and provincial governments. He said that Sindh province should take concrete measures for cancellation of fishing license issued in violation of rules and stopping the contaminated water of flowing into the sea. The committee members expressed concerns over issuance of around 6,000 licenses for fishing and urged the Sindh government to cancel these licenses. They said there were a vast variety of fish available in Pakistani waters that were become rare due to excessive fishing and pollution. The officials of the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority briefed the committee about the objectives and functions of the authority. Ports and Shipping Secretary Khalid Pervez said that the government has formulated a policy for fishing in the deep sea. He said that Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority had the jurisdiction of only 12 nautical miles in the sea. Khalid Pervez said that the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan had rejected the policy, saying that formulating the policy was not mandate of the federal government. The secretary told the committee that Balochistan government wanted to have the authority to issue licenses. He said that 100 boats were being added every year for fishermen, adding that World Food Organization proposed to reduce 50 percent fishing fleet. Khalid Pervez informed the committee that 4,720 million cusec sewerage water was flowing into the sea per day. He said that Canal Khayyam, Kalary Nullah, Pitcher Nullah, City Station Nullah, Malir River, Korangi Industrial Area and Mahmoodabad Nullah poisoning the sea. He said that the Sindh government had issued licenses to the foreigners not the federal government, adding that the federal government had the stance that small fishermen should be allow the deep sea fishing. Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Department Muhammad Ali Malkani informed the committee that the Sindh government had stopped issuing the fishing licenses and did not issue any permit for last eight years.
2016 Dailytimes