PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 5 -- The fisheries department will auction fishing rights across designated stretches of six major rivers in Prayagraj. This move aims to provide a structured livelihood to economically weaker fishing communities while improving the management of inland fisheries, officials said on Tuesday. The department has identified 38 zones covering about 215 km of river stretches across the Ganga, Yamuna, Tons, Belan, Varuna and Mansaita rivers. Fishing leases for these zones will be allotted through open auction, with separate minimum reserve prices fixed for each zone, officials informed. Deputy director (fisheries) Vijay Pal said the initiative marks the first time that river water areas in the district are being divided into zones and leased through a transparent auction process. He said the arrangement is expected to benefit both traditional fishing communities, many of whom depend entirely on rivers for their livelihood due to the absence of agricultural land, and the administration through regulated management of fishing rights. According to the department, the 38 zones range between three and eight kilometres in length and have been demarcated across the tehsils of Meja, Karchhana, Handia, Koraon, Bara, Sadar and Phulpur. The minimum reserve price for the leases varies from zone to zone depending on the river stretch. The highest reserve price of Rs.54,285 has been fixed for a zone on the Belan river, while the lowest reserve price has been set at Rs.20,360....