Agartala: The central government could approve a mega Integrated Aqua park project in the Unakoti District, fisheries minister Sudhangshu Das told reporters during a press briefing at the civil secretariat.
This project will have multiple utilities and act as a tourist attraction. “We shall set up specific areas for cold storage, followed by installation of selling sheds within its premises. People can not only enjoy the scenic beauty of the place but also come to know about the different fish species of our state and country,” he said.
According to the Minister, during his Delhi visit, he submitted a detailed project report to the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Parshottam Rupala for the proposed project.
“The Union Minister’s response to our project was very positive. He was very keen to set up such a facility in our state. We have already earmarked land for the proposed project under the Chandipur assembly constituency. We need Rs 99 crore to pull off the mega project,” the minister added.
Apart from that, Das said, a series of proposals had been placed before the Union Minister during the meeting in order to streamline the services provided by the Animal Resource and Fisheries departments.
“We have sought funds for the restoration of unutilised water bodies. According to our survey, around 250 hectares of water bodies in different parts of the state are lying unutilized. If these water bodies and lakes are made functional for pisciculture, the gap in production and requirement shall drop significantly,” the Minister added.
He also informed the media persons that a project for overall infrastructure development for the RK Nagar Veterinary Hospital has also been placed.
“Projects worth Rs 57 crore for vertical expansion of the RK Nagar veterinary hospital have been placed. Another Rs 11 crore has been sought for availing mobile veterinary services in all the rural development blocks. A proposal for setting up Central University for Veterinary Sciences is also placed,” he added.
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A project proposal for setting up a regional fishery training centre was also discussed during the New Delhi meeting.
According to the data available from the fisheries department, the total fish production in Tripura stands at 83,000 metric tons, up from 70,000 metric tons a year back. The total requirement of fish for the state stands at 1,13,000 metric tons. “We are working hard to make sure that we can become self-sufficient in the production of fish,” the Minister added.
Meanwhile, the department has also decided to open 25 fish stores in different corners of the state to ration fish at subsidised prices on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. “Different kinds of fish will be available for sale at those counters,” he added.
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