While agriculture and agro related projects are banned within the urban areas of the State, the historic Naran Sagar Pond, an important communal property resource within the Angul Municipality, is under the grab of the Fisheries Department creating serious ecological and health threat to the people, alleged the Citizens’ Action Forum (CAF).
In a petition to Chief Minister, the CAF alleged that Naran Sagar, a conglomeration of planned water bodies constructed by British officials long back, is illegally and unauthorisedly used for fish culture project with RKVY assistance of Rs 6.46 crore. Though valid land Patta is not available with the Fishery Department for possession and use of the vast water resources, still the Fishery department is doing the fish culture and allied work in the water resource and land illegally.
Recently, the Fisheries Department has constructed decorative gate under the scheme over the Government plot encroaching land recorded as Nayan Jori.
The department has also constructed substandard approach road in the project. When contacted, the District Fisheries Officer admitted that the department had no Patta of the land for fish culture. “Most of the fish culture units of the State have no Patta in the name of the Fishery department. However, we are doing it in Government land and it is in our possession,” said FO Ekka. He also admitted that fish culture tanks are restricted for public use including bathing. “We are using RCD (raw cow dung in fish culture,” he said. Meanwhile, environmentalist Ashok Satpathy alleged that the tank was polluted due to fish culture. Moreover, for implementation of such a big project in the heart of the thickly populated municipal area, the Environmental Impact Assessment has not done prior to commissioning of the project. Various ponds used for fish culture creates serious health hazards.
Angul is a water scarcity area. Ponds are the major source of water for daily use of the people and fish culture will seriously affect the water source, he said. “Construction of the heritage
fish farm on the common property resources like Naran Sagar within Municipality area will affect the ecology and also people will be deprived of using its water. The project needs to be shifted to any open area far from human habitation,” told CAF secretary CR Sahu.