Koksara: The state government has introduced many schemes for fish farmers through the Department of Fisheries to promote fisheries in Odisha. Fish farmers of different villages under a block area are encouraged to take up commercial farming of hybrid fish seedlings and pisciculture.
However, such rosy picture is not seen in Koksara. The office of the State Fisheries Department under Koksara block has turned into a haunted place amidst weeds and trees, in the absence of adequate maintenance. It has also become a home for reptiles, with heaps of garbage dumped on its premises.
The office has not been opened in the past two years and people, particularly farmers, do not know who the block level fisheries officer is. Moreover, the fish farmers coming to the office for seedlings are returning empty-handed.
Earlier, the building had a fish seedling production centre, providing support to cultivation of wide varieties of fish in the Koksara block area. Subsequently, fish seedlings were supplied to the local fish farmers from Habaspur fish seedling centre.
On being contacted, the officer in-charge of Koksara unit of the Fisheries Department, Lalit Mahananda, said, “We are not getting any allocated fund for the cleanliness and maintenance of the premises. There is a proposal for the construction of a new office building and I am the only staff working here now.”
PNN