ORDER :

Heard Smt. M. Vidyavathi, Sri G. Vijaya Babu and Sri V. Sivaprasada Reddy for the petitioners and learned Additional Advocate General for the respondents.

2. As the issues raised in all the writ petitions are one and the same, all the writ petitions are being disposed of by this common order.

3. Prior to 1987, fishing rights in all tanks and water sources were being disposed of in the following order of precedence: 1) Cooperative societies of fishermen or harijans engaged in fishing on the basis of average five years rental or departmental development proceeds as the case may be; 2) Panchayat boards or local bodies; and 3) Private individuals on the basis of bids at public auctions. The Government after examining the existing policy of allotment of fishing rights and after taking into account the views of the fishermen organisations and associations as well as the representatives of the public, had issued G.O.Ms.No.776 dated 31.12.1990, setting out the procedure for allotment of fishing rights in various tanks and water bodies. The water bodies, for the purposes of grant of fishing rights were categorised as Water bodies vested with Gram Panchayats, Major reservoirs, medium an