Jagran reported that film celebrity Tom Alter's son and two others were fined by Uttarakhand forest department for illegal fishing in Kosi River, Ramnagar on 29th March 2012. They were paid Rupees 8,000 as fine and claimed that they were not aware about the ban on fishing in Kosi River. Forest department had enforced fine under section 26 of Indian Forest Act 1927.
http://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/nainital-9077328.html
http://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/nainital-9077328.html
This is utter nonsense. I was there. Aaron Alter is not Tom Alter's son, he is his nephew. Aaron was fined, in a great miscarriage of justice, as Forest Department officials tried to divert attention from their lapses in duties that resulted in a poisoning of two tigers in a nearby area. Aaron was not fishing, but instead was feeding the fish bread. He never had a rod in his hand! You call that fishing? He fed the fish bread to allow two anglers who were fishing to hook and release fish in the river. They failed to hook or land any fish, because the fish were not in a taking mood. No one other than Aaron was fined. The two anglers walked away from the confrontation.
ReplyDeleteTiger Camp is totally at fault here. For 7 years, Aaron has fished in the Kosi, with their permission. We returned to Tiger Camp, where we had taken rooms, and walked through the lobby with fishing rods in our hands for all to see. They were well aware that Aaron was taking the three of us fishing, as he had done for many other anglers over the past 7 years, and was doing so with the permission of Tiger Camp, who has an employee who serves to guard the river from any poachers or anyone who would keep fish they happened to catch. Indeed, as Aaron was discussing this with FO men, another hotel employee was leading a family to the river and helping them begin to do angling. Kosi River does not require permits and all fishing is catch and release of fish without harm to the fish. Only permission from the hotel is required and Aaron had that and has had it for 7 years. Permits should be required but are not, so angling is permitted. Tiger Camp should be ashamed that it did not stand behind Aaron on this occasion and let him be taken to the station and fined. The Forest Department officials should be reprimanded for their unreasonable application of a law that has no application to the situation and enforcement of a made up regulation that had not existed until a day or so before and has no legitimacy. What a terrible thing for them to do! Do they want to drive tourists away???