Pocharam at his witty best

Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has done enough canvassing about fresh water fish of Telangana in the Legislative Council on Tuesday that he may have well whetted the appetite of members to include fish menu in their lunch for the day. Replying to a short discussion on Development of Fisheries in the State before lunch time, Mr. Reddy, apparently a fish aficionado who made efforts to bring good varieties of fish from other States, including Andhra Pradesh, for the tanks in his native Kamareddy district, reeled out the names of different varieties of fresh water fish of Telangana. “ I am sure after this discussion, all members will definitely have fish in their lunch menu,” he said evoking laughter. He said the government is keen to end the role of middlemen and facilitate communities involved in traditional fish farming like Ganga Putrulu, Mudiraj etc., earn decent income. Leader of Opposition Mohd Ali Shabbir said apart from creating new fish market outlets, the government should modernise existing fish markets at Begum Bazaar, Musheerabad, Banjara Hills etc.