Anantnag, Dec 27 (JKNS): The All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) has urged the Central Government to immediately depute a team of fisheries experts to investigate the mysterious death of hundreds of holy fish in the sacred ponds of Mattan Martand in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
In a letter addressed to Union Cabinet Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, AIKS sought urgent intervention to determine the cause of the incident and to devise a permanent mechanism to prevent its recurrence.
“The unprecedented dying of holy fish in Mattan Martand has deeply pained Kashmiri communities across the globe, cutting across religious boundaries,” AIKS Convenor Ravinder Pandita said.
Talking with JKNS Pandita said that while the district administration has taken certain steps at the local level, expert scientific assistance from the Centre is essential to work alongside local authorities to identify the root cause and ensure long-term protection of the sacred site.
He added that AIKS has also written to the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and the Chief Secretary, seeking their immediate intervention and an impartial probe into the alarming incident.
The Mattan Martand ponds, associated with the historic Martand Sun Temple complex, hold immense religious, cultural and ecological significance in Kashmir.
The sudden mass death of fish has triggered widespread concern among locals, devotees and environmentalists, prompting strong calls for a thorough scientific investigation to safeguard the site’s fragile ecological balance. (JKNS)
