Infrastructure as well as activities at the government-run district fishery at Bazar Mouja on the outskirts of Nilphamari town has remained in a deplorable condition for years.
With weeds and hedges profusely growing from cracks of the walls, fallen plaster exposing the iron structure of the concrete roof and worm-infested doors and windows, the office has turned too risky for the staff working there.
The fishery on 8.3 acres of land, comprising a hatchery, eight ponds, a power pump-run deep tube-well, necessary equipment and a furnished office started functioning shortly after the independence with an initial target to produce 300 kg of renu (spawn) and about 3 lakh pona (fish fry) annually, farm sources said.
It aimed at encouraging fish farming to create employment opportunity in the area that is prone to serious seasonal unemployment and accompanying near-famine situation.
In early years, the farm greatly contributed to fish farming at private level as spawn and fry became easily available to farmers, said Mollah Mistry, 50, and several others locals.
But the authorities later became reluctant about the farm, turning it nearly unproductive.
Now it produces only a small amount of fry but no spawn although a kg of spawn can produce nearly 2 lakh fry in favourable condition, said local fishery farm owners.
During a visit to the farm on August 14, this correspondent saw all signs of neglect there. The hatchery is in a pitiable condition. The deep tube-well is inoperative and the eight ponds, all silted up, see some water only during the rains. The office building, covered with weeds and hedges growing from cracks in the walls, gives a ghostly look.
The farm is supposed to be staffed with a farm manager belonging to the BCS cadre, a field assistant, a pump operator, a peon and a night guard, farm sources said. But the staffs posted here get repulsed to see the risky office building and deplorable condition of the farm.
"No official want to continue job here for long. The farm has remained without any regular manager after the last officer holding the post managed his transfer to another district two years ago," said Abu Yahiya, field assistant of the farm.
"The Sadar upazila fisheries officer has been given the charge of farm manager as additional duty. He does his work from the upazila office two km away. This year's target is to produce 1.2 lakh fish fry only," he added.
"There is no arrangement to keep important official documents safely. Chairs and tables are broken. Chunks of plaster often fall off the roof. We work here amid serious risk," he said.
Local youth Yasin Ali, who feed fry in the farm as a daily wage basis worker, said, "There is no boundary wall for the farm. Drug addicts gather here at night. Sometimes they steal fish fry to manage money for buying drugs. They also bring floating prostitutes here and threatens to kill the night guard if he protests. In the daytime, locals use it as a grazing field."
When contacted, Sadar Upazila Fisheries Officer Shah Imam Jafar Sadik, now in-charge of the fish farm, said, "We sent a Tk 1.53 crore project proposal to fisheries directorate for renovation of the farm one year ago. The government has recently initiated a project titled 'Structural development project' for development of the sector. We hope our proposal will be included in the project soon."
Source : The Daily Star
