Fisheries dept remains mute witness to the decay of the historic pond
Guwahati's Nagkota Pukhuri, a historic pond, continues to be in a shambles for decades despite its prime location.
Currently, the pond is nothing more than a sewage dump where residents and eateries dispose of their garbage. “This pond is right in the heart of the city but is still ignored. Hundreds of people cross by this pond every day but no one even knows that it exists anymore. Restaurants and residents dump their garbage in this pond and have polluted it to another level,” said a resident of Panbazar in Guwahati.
G Plus took stock of the present circumstances the pond is left in and the whereabouts of its present ownership.
The pond and the adjacent land belonging to the Directorate of Fisheries. Reportedly, the land originally belonged to the Banerjee family, the proprietors of BN Dey & Co. The family continues to reside on the adjoining land. But the plot having the pond was donated to the fisheries department way back around the 1950s for proper utilization.
However, despite having possession of such a prime property for nearly 70 years, the department has not only failed to develop it but has remained a mute witness to its conversion into a dumping ground.
Reportedly, many individuals and other government organisations have been in possession of the property from time to time. Regardless of every lessee’s failure to make even minimal development, the authorities have never shown any concern.
Notably, the Fisheries Department has been leasing out the property, containing about 0.31 hectares of land including the ‘pukhuri’, at around Rs. 11,000 per year.
Sources have informed G Plus that after much media coverage on the negligence by the authorities towards any kind of development or even maintenance, the property was leased to the National Federation of Fishers Cooperatives Ltd. (FISHCOPFED), a national level federation of fishery cooperatives and the apex institution of Indian Fisheries Cooperative Movement from 2015 to 2017. The cooperative, living up to its name, indeed developed the pond significantly.
The sources have also informed that the pond had to be dewatered as the water was completely unfit for fish farming. Years of negligence by authorities and lessees alike have rendered the water of the historic pond almost poisonous for any kind of aquatic life.
Upon cleaning of the pond, allegedly two large vans full of empty liquor bottles were recovered. The soil beneath was also treated to make it fit for usage.
It needs to be mentioned that a renowned eatery and a taxi stand have been allegedly encroaching one bank of the Nagkota Pukhuri for the past couple of decades. Locals and authorities equally allege that the water has been rendered unfit due to the continuous deposition of diesel, petrol, vehicle lubricant and other chemical substances from the cars parked and cleaned on the bank. Concerned citizens have also pointed out that dirty water and used oil is being dumped into the water body due to lack of proper drainage.
FISHCOPFED successfully reared fish in the pond and even sold them in the neighbouring areas. The Cooperative also had aqua-shop selling medicine to fish farmers across the state. Officials said, “Our productivity in the Nagkota pukhuri was good if not great. Due to its strategic location with roads on both sides, the water keeps on vibrating which is good for fish growth. We even sold in the neighbouring areas and did large scale fishing during Bihu.”
“The medicines that we sold at the shop would be first tested in our own pond, so that we can assure customer satisfaction,” he added.
However, after the completion of the two year lease period in 2017, the Directorate of Fisheries did not re-allot the same to FISHCOPFED despite several requests from the central officials and reapplication of the newly floated tender.
The plot was finally allotted to one Prabir Kalita in 2019 after court intervention. However, the final possession was ultimately given just a few days ago. Experts have pointed out that the water body being left without maintenance for the last four years has further degraded its water quality, with all efforts and expenses of FISHCOPFED gone to waste.
When G Plus took stock of the issue with the Fisheries Department at Meen Bhawan, officials refused to provide further data of the work done in Nagkota Pukhuri in the previous years.
Jayprakash Medhi, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Fisheries said, “The tank is very small and is unfit for the department. It’s less than a bigha. We have no record of any production done there despite all efforts. This time we have managed to give the lease at a much higher rate than the actual government rate. We have leased it for 7 years at Rs. 60,000 annual rent. Now it depends on the lessee how he develops it.”
Nagkota Pukhuri to be turned into a major hub
G Plus contracted the present rentee of the prime property, Prabir Kalita about his plans towards developing the location.
“As a localite I was always saddened by the sorry state this historic pukhuri was in. When I saw the tender being floated, I instantly applied for the same. It took a lot of effort and money to win the tender and further efforts to take possession. I received it just the other day, on 9th December, 2020. So, despite gaining ownership on paper I was unable to progress with any work.”
“We have tested the water and the soil of the Nagkota Pukhuri and It has to be dewatered first if it is to be made feasible for fish production. All arrangements have been made and we are waiting for the right time. After dewatering, we have to wait for the monsoons to refill such a huge tank,” he added.
The area nearby is to be turned into an entertainment zone for the public with proper lighting, beautification and other facilities. Apart from using the water body for large scale production of fish, casual fishing for the interested will also be permitted.
“However, it will take some time to fulfill my dreams. The area is all filled with drunkards and used for other illegal activities. To clear all these will be a tough job and the support of the civil authorities will be required. I am hopeful of opening it towards the second half of 2021,” said Kalita.
A brief history of the pond
It is believed that on the inaugural day of Sukreshwar Temple, between 1744 and 1751 AD, a huge snake was sacrificed at the altar of the temple. A regular snake worshipping and sacrificing ceremony would take place a few feet away from the temple which is now called Nagkota Pukhuri.