Ganjam: Several residents of Damodarpur near Ganjam town are fishermen. Even as some families depend on fishing from the Rushikulya river, some others sell dried fishes after cleaning, processing and treating them with salt.
According to sources, these families sell dried fishes either at the Humma weekend haat or in nearby villages. Humma haat is quite popular as the largest fish market of Ganjam district.
As there is no alternative option, the villagers are compelled to use NH-16 as a yard for drying fishes. For years, they have been demanding for a fish drying yard to which the district administration has been showing apathetic attitude, local villagers alleged.
They realise that drying fishes on the national highway is always vulnerable to road accidents. However, it is something like living between devil and the deep sea, some fishermen lamented.
Hundreds of trucks, buses including other vehicles ply through this national highway every day, to and fro Berhampur-Bhubaneswar. Fishing is our traditional occupation and we are depending upon the NH-16 for drying up fishes, Kaibarta Sahi residents said.
Giving his views, Ganjam block development officer Jyoti Shankar Ray said, “Developing a fish drying yard is the responsibility of district fisheries department. I have already communicated to the department and necessary steps will be taken in this regard soon.”