A national symposium on sustainable development of Indian fisheries in the 21st century, which opened in Kochi last week, has expressed serious concern over the growing stress on the country's fishery resources and called for more prudent fishery practices aimed at protecting the resources from over exploitation.

Inaugurating the symposium, organised by the School of Industrial Fisheries of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Justice K Narayana Kurup of the Kerala High Court said there was urgent need to regulate the fishing activity currently on as this was likely to assume disastrous dimensions due to over exploitation, which would eventually spell the doom of Indian fisheries.

Justice Kurup said even a moratorium for a certain period might be imposed on construction and replacement of mechanised vessels. He added that there was urgent need to chalk out measures aimed at preparing accurate periodical estimates on the status of the country'sfishery reserves and deployment of our fishing efforts accordingly

Khajuraho temples to get a face-lift

The temples in Khajuraho, renowned for erotic sculptures, are getting a face-lift with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) undertaking a major overhaul of the 1,000-years old structures and authorities working on a `conservation and sustainable development strategy' for them.

While the ASI has embarked on a major restoration process, an expert team of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) conservationists has worked out a `development strategy' that aims at making the world heritage site a model tourist destination.

Even as the shrines are undergoing renovation, ASI further plans to open up all the platforms of the temples and reconstruct them using proper material to strengthen them, says Ashok Kumar Soni, conservation assistant with ASI."After the construction of the temples 1,000 years ago by the Chandela kings, repairs carried out from time to time have beenpiecemeal in nature, and as a result you see various varieties of stones in the platforms and staircases of the temples. We plan to open up all the platforms gradually and repair them properly so that they become what they were originally," says Soni, who coordinates ASI's work at the temples.

Alzheimer disease on the rise!

Alzheimer disease could pose challenge in India. Alzheimer disease, characterised by loss of memory, may pose a challenge in India, a neurology professor from Michigan, US, has cautioned.

Though the incidence of Alzheimer disease was low at present, with the growing ageing population, it might pose a big challenge in India, Sid Gilman said in an article in the journal published by the Coimbatore-based K G Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute.

He said the incidence was still low, as the average lifespan was only 62 years in India. However, a study conducted at Chennai estimated that 0.86 per cent of the population above the age of 55 years and 11.07 per cent above 65years suffered from the disease, Gilman said.

Due to low survival rate of population and the Hindu family system, which took care of the aged people, the incidence was not pronounced in the country, he said and cautioned that due to better living conditions the percentage of the elderly was going up in the country as in the West.

Olive Ridleys' absence puzzling

Wildlife watchers were puzzled over the absence of Olive Ridley sea turtles in large numbers in the beach near river Rshikulya Mouth in Ganjam district, Orissa, last month. Over 50,000 turtles had laid eggs on the sand dunes dotting six km long beach at Prayagi and Purunabandh last year even as environmentalists were aghast at their absence for two consecutive years on the Gahirmatha beach, now fragmented into Nasi-I and Nasi-II isles, which has been known as the largest rookery of the Olive Ridleys in the world.But while over 2.5 lakh turtles arrived in the two isles to lay eggs last month, barely 300 to 400 Olive Ridleys showed up on theRushikulya Mouth.

--Agencies