332 flats completed in Muttathara under Punargeham scheme
According to officials of the Fisheries department, the construction of the residential complex began in 2023 in 8 acres of land handed over by the Department of Dairy Development. The State government had given administrative sanction of ₹81 crore for the housing project. The Uralungal Labour Contract Co-Operative Society (ULCCS) carried out the construction activity with the Harbour Engineering Department overseeing the technical aspects of the work. The housing complex has been named 'Prathyasha'.
The entire project is envisaged as 400 flats of fifty blocks having eight housing units each. Each housing unit has a plinth area of 562 square feet. The work on more housing complexes under the Punargeham project are currently progressing in various districts.
The project launched in 2019 is mainly focussed on rehabilitating fishing communities living within 50 metres of the coast to safer grounds. Under the scheme, a total number 2,818 families have already been rehabilitated by constructing 2,428 individual homes and 390 flats. The government provides beneficiary families an amount of ₹10 lakh each including ₹6 lakh for buying land and ₹4 lakh for constructing houses. The amount is disbursed in instalments.
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News18
2 days ago
- News18
Godavaris iconic Pulasa fish now faces scarcity
Agency: PTI Amaravati, Jul 21 (PTI) Every monsoon season, for about two months, a small fish called Pulasa, which swims upstream into the distributaries of the mighty Godavari river from the Bay of Bengal to spawn and breed, creates a gastronomic stir in the scenic Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. But, sadly this fish has become rare in recent times. Known as Pulasa in Telugu and Hilsa Ilisha in English, this migratory anadromous fish species is a prized delicacy, which commands a fortune and the spicy curry made out of it is fondly presented to politicians, bureaucrats, celebrities and eminent people as a goodwill gesture during a brief window of time. B Gopal Rao (44) from Dowleswaram in East Godavari district lamented this scarcity, fondly recalling that he had relished pulasa curry more often during his childhood than now. Such is the popularity of Pulasa curry that it inspired the Telugu maxim 'pustelu ammiaina pulasa tinali', which translates to one should eat pulasa even by selling the 'mangalsutra'. S Angeli, additional director of Fisheries Department, noted that the overwhelming demand and excessive fishing of pulasa for its lip-smacking taste is putting the species at risk as they cannot be bred artificially like other fish through aquaculture for consumption. Over time, hilsa catch is increasing in the sea and plummeting in the rivers. It was abundant in the 1990s, but gradually diminished over the years to very low levels today. As per Elsevier, a 145-year-old Dutch scientific journal, decreasing water discharge from upstream rivers, heavy siltation, indiscriminate exploitation of juveniles, disruption of migration routes and loss of spawning, feeding and nursery grounds, coupled by overfishing is contributing to their drop in riverine prevalence. For a fish enjoying such preeminent status in the local Godavari cuisine, comparable to the caviar in Continental cuisine, Angeli said a strict ban on catching juvenile pulasa is imperative. She stressed the need for a focused study on the spawning grounds of hilsa in the Godavari River to declare them as protected areas. Further, she suggested adopting the polluter pays principle (PPP) and establishing a floating laboratory on Godavari River as part of conservation efforts, among other much-needed initiatives. According to Angeli, pulasa fish enter the Godavari river during the flood season, swim upstream against the strong current for thousands of kilometres of marine sea water to lay eggs. 'This migration and spawning process occurs between June and August. After laying eggs, they (hilsa or pulasa fish) return to the sea around October. Pulasa fish undergoes a transformation in taste and color when they enter the freshwaters of the Godavari," Angeli told PTI. She noted that the pulasa fish found in the delta are also particularly flavorful, especially in areas where the fresh Godavari river water mixes with seawater near Narsapuram in West Godavari district. The blending of freshwater and saltwater (estuarine conditions) gives pulasa its unique taste, she said, and added that the fisherfolk classify female pulasa as 'chenal' and male as 'goddu'. 'The female fish is especially prized for its richer taste and commands a higher price. Though the fish has many bones, its preparation is key—traditionally cooked in clay pots over firewood. Pulasa tastes better after sitting for several hours," said the additional director. Angeli explained that Pulasa fish caught near Yanam and Kotipalli are cheaper as they have just entered the river from the sea and those caught from Kapileswarapuram and Alamuru are a bit pricy. But, the most expensive are the ones caught near Dowleswaram and Pottilanka, owing to their rich flavour. 'The cost of an authentic pulasa fish will range up to Rs 10,000 and it will be around 1 kg at maximum. The pulasa caught between Bobbarlanka and Dowleswaram is the best," said Gopal Rao. Gopal Rao said the renowned curry is prepared with a blend of ingredients, which include 'avakaya' (mango) pickle oil, ladies finger, and savoured the day after its preparation. 'We used to cook it on Saturday night, keep it aside and savour it on Sunday afternoon," he said. In 2018, Elsevier paper 'Biology and fisheries of Hilsa shad in Bay of Bengal' observed that hilsa is widely distributed in the North Indian Ocean and majorly in the Bay of Bengal. Though the species is found in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, Bangladesh accounts for the lion's share of hilsa catch. VV Rao, former additional director in the Fisheries Department said the tastiest pulasa is found only in the Godavari river and attributed this to the fish acquiring the characteristics crucial for its distinctive flavour during its brief sojourn in these waters. According to Elsevier, Hilsa enjoys great demand and exerts socio-cultural influences in West Bengal, prompting it to import the fish from Bangladesh to meet local demand and supplement its own catch. With several instances of Bangladesh engaging in 'hilsa diplomacy' with India, the neighbouring country also exported consignments of the fish as a gift to West Bengal during Durga Puja festival. Besides satiating the taste buds, pulasa is also a goldmine of nutrition, containing essential and poly-unsaturated fatty acis, lipids, minerals and amino acids, the publishing company said. PTI STH ROH (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 09:45 IST News agency-feeds Godavaris iconic Pulasa fish now faces scarcity Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Time of India
Pulasa fish arrives in Godavari: A seasonal delicacy faces threat from overfishing
RAJAHMUNDRY: As the flood water entering the river Godavari, the highly prized fish, Pulasa started to enter the river from the sea for breeding. It is most sought after seasonal delicacy which is available between July to September. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The fish is known for its unique taste, tender flesh, and rich flavour, attributed to the pristine water of Godavari river and rich diet of the fish. There is saying that people even sell Mangala Sutram (A thread is knotted around the bride's neck and is worn by her for the remainder of her marriage) to taste Pulasa fish. The first Pulasa of this season was trapped in the net of fishermen Gouthami Godavari branch of Godavari in the Union Territory of Yanam. The auction was held at the Pushkar ghat. A local fisherwoman, Ponnamanda Ratnam purchased the fish at hefty price of Rs 15,000. There is no boundary for the happiness of fishermen as the flow of Pulasa fish has begun early and they are hopeful of getting richer by this famous fish. Now a day, the Pulasa fish is becoming rare commodity due to over exploitation. The fish will get tasty and health after eating plankton which are a diverse group of organisms that live in aquatic environments and they are abundant at estuarines. Aster consuming the plankton, Pulasa will become rich in omega algae oil and strong. The fish will become tastier by the distance it travels from the sea into the river for reproduction. Pulasa with more roe(fish eggs) will be more testier and also costlier. Most of the people mad about the Pulasa with more eggs and they pay any amount to get it. Talking to the TOI, In-Charge Joint Director, Fisheries, Konaseema, L.B.S Vardhan said that said that the number of Pulasa is dwindling due to over exploitation for the sake of money. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He said the fishwermen are after the prized fish from Yanam which is near the sea mouth. Later, the fish is being caught at Kotipalli and Dowllaiswaram barrage. He observed that the reproduction of Pulasa will be concluded successfully after it travels much distance and the new breed of fish will be strong and great in number. Unfortunately, the journey of this legendary fish is coming to an end abruptly and most of the fish are not lucky enoud to swim back to the Bay of Bengal. Why the Pulasa fish only confined to river Godavari only. The answer is no other river Krishna will not get that much of flood waters at the sea mouth.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- The Hindu
Fisheries Minister releases fingerlings into Thamirabarani river, ahead of National Fish Farmers' Day
Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan released native species of freshwater carp fingerlings into Thamirabarani river from Srivaikuntam dam, on Thursday, ahead of the National Fish Farmers' Day. Addressing the media, he said that, under a State project aimed at restocking rivers and boosting fish resources across Tamil Nadu, a total of 40 lakh fingerlings were being released into rivers at a cost of ₹1.20 crore for the financial year 2025-2026. The project is being implemented with an objective to significantly increase the income of local fishermen, who rely on rivers as their livelihood he added. 'As part of the project, one lakh fingerlings sized up to 8 to 10 cm, reared at the Government Fish Farm in Manimuthar were released today,' he noted. Furthermore, he noted that several schemes are being implemented by the Fisheries Department to support and protect the local fishermen. One such initiative involves stocking fish in ponds. Fishermen or groups who lease these ponds are allowed to purchase and breed fish, thereby creating livelihood opportunities. He added that following the directive of the Chief Minister, fingerlings are now being released not only in ponds but also in major river beds. Over the past two years, river beds such as Thamirabharani, Bhavani and Cauvery have been restocked, benefiting local fishermen communities in multiple ways. Thoothukudi Collector K. Elambahavath, Joint Director of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department, Thoothukudi (Division) N. Chandra, and other officials were present.
