From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH, May 12: Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Arpit Upadhyaya has directed the departments of Fisheries and Police to immediately initiate an investigation and bring to book all those involved in the recent poisoning of Khri River in Patharkhmah.
It may be mentioned that the incident, which occurred at Khri River, has caught the attention of the authorities after a video went viral on social media, showing a man posing with a large catfish, weighing around 80 kgs.
As per sources, people from several villages in Patharkhmah engage in fishing at Khri River, which was being poisoned using a locally available root tree called ‘kharu’.
On May 10, Patharkhmah Police also seized ‘kharu’ from individuals, who were allegedly attempting to poison the Khri River, and warned them not to do so.
The DC lamented that despite prohibitory orders already in place, few vested interest people were still indulging in the heinous act.
He also warned one and all against poisoning rivers, stating that it results in large-scale destruction of aquatic life and can have severe repercussions on the environment.