Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 26: An exhaustive tour was conducted by Amit Sharma, Special Secretary, Animal/Sheep Husbandry & Fisheries Department yesterday alongwith R K Dogra, Director Fisheries J&K to review the progress of various ongoing projects of Fisheries Department in Jammu.
In the initial phase of visit, Amit Sharma visited and reviewed the progress of one upcoming Modern Hygienic Whole Sale-cum-Retail Fish Market which is under construction at Narwal, adjacent to Fruit and Vegetable Mandis there. Amit Sharma directed the Engineering wing of Fisheries Department to ensure the completion of construction work and ensure its operationalization within a phase of one month as this serves as a very useful platform for various stakeholders like fish farmers, fishermen community, besides wholesalers, retail vendors and others associated with the fisheries trade. This complex will comprise of cold store buildings, ice plants, pump house, 10 whole sale shops, 40 retail units, with a waste management plant, water harvesting plant, one meeting hall and one ice flakes store is under construction.
Amit Sharma also took a round of underground Aquarium-cum-Awareness Centre of department during the visit. He pointed out few things regarding maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness in and around this prestigious asset of department and finishing paint and related renovation works in a time-bound manner. It is worthwhile to mention here that this Aquarium-cum-Museum of Fisheries department is one of its kind in whole of Asia which houses lot of rare varieties of fish apart from creating awareness amongst the visitors regarding the conservation and preservation of biodiversity.
In the last leg of visit, Amit Sharma visited Ghou Manhasan Fish Farm which was established in 1980 comprising of 21 fish farms, including 11 stocking or brood stock ponds and 11 nursery ponds.
Apart from Director Fisheries, other officers who accompanied him, include Mohd Amin, Joint Director Fisheries (T) Jammu, Mohd Qasim Lone, Joint Director Fisheries (Projects) Jammu, S S Sharma, Chief Project Officer RFFDA, Jammu and Sanjesh Gupta, AD Fisheries.