Angling for better facilities

The Larji Hydel Project, now under construction, is going to open new vistas for sport angling in the Banjar valley,
observes Joginder Behl

CONSTRUCTION of the 28-metre high barrage in river Beas under the Larji Hydel Project, now in progress is going to open new vistas for sport angling in the sylvan setting of the Banjar valley. A beautiful eight hectare cold water lake, thus created, would extend upto about 4 km into the two famous trout streams of Sainj and Tirthan. About 200 metres down the confluence of these two streams with the Beas, water will be diverted through 8.5 metre HRT (tunnel) to the underground powerhouse at "Doadda" with an installed capacity of generating 126 MW of power. No provision seems to have been made in the design to scare away the fish from entering the tunnel.

According to K.B. Ralhan, who prior to his retirement was project manager of Indo-Norwegian trout farming project Patlikuhl in the Kulu valley for seven years and is presently the Secretary General of Himachal angling association, the lake will offer an ideal habitat for the growth of rainbow trout, which is rated as world’s one of the best sport fishes. When properly developed the lake is going to be a great attraction for both Indian and foreign tourists looking for the thrill of sport fishing. Although cold water fish species such as trout and mahaseer count as major attraction and craze for recreational fishing in India, the people engaged in the management and development of fisheries and promotion of tourism in the Government of India have not addressed themselves to this significiant area of development. Ralhan expressed concern over the indifferent attitude of the state government about the brazen ruination of the ecology of the trout streams through indiscriminate extraction of sand, stone, bajri from stream beds, discharge of insecticides and fungicides and felling of forests in the catchments.

Shashivansh Bahadur, a keen angler of Delhi, complains that a stone crusher at Dhaman bridge is polluting the Tirthan downstream right upto the Larji confluence, tractors of the stone contractors keep on crossing the shallow rapids at various places upstream Dhaman and the Nepali labour of Larji Hydel Project indulges in killing fish by dynamites. It is not within the reach of junior watch and ward staff of fisheries department to stop this devastation of the stream, he adds.

Amongst the steps required to make the area an anglers’ paradise and boost fishing tourism in Himachal is the need to create a separate post of assistant director to manage the trout fisheries of Larji lake and the two streams feeding it. This water body should be declared as sport fishing and no commercial fishing should be allowed. Release adequate number of grown up fingerlings of rainbow trout in the lake and brown trout in the upper reaches of Trithan and Sainj streams, construct anglers lodges in the area with facilities of lockers for keeping the expensive fishing equipment and set up a trout sale shop for discouraging poachers.