Keonjhar: A govt fish seed production centre at Telkoi in Keonjhar district has remained defunct for nearly a decade and now faces permanent closure due to the absence of an access road, despite the state’s push to boost fisheries and aquaculture.Established in 1970 on four acres, the facility supported fish farming. Five ponds spread across three acres produced fish seed, supplying Rohu, Bhakur, Mrigal and China Rohu fingerlings to farmers for stocking ponds, rivers, reservoirs and other water bodies. However, the centre has been closed for almost 10 years as its approach road passes through private land. Landowners have reportedly stopped vehicles from using the unpaved stretch, leaving the facility inaccessible. Officials have neither acquired the land nor developed an alternative road.The closure has forced fish farmers from Telkoi and Banspal block to procure seed from govt centres in Patana and other blocks. Women’s self-help groups farming in panchayat ponds are incurring additional costs. Local farmers urged the administration to protect the facility and restore operations. They said the hatchery could benefit farmers in Telkoi, Banguripala and Palalahada block of Angul district. Officials estimate it can produce up to 30 lakh fish seeds annually once operational.Keonjhar fisheries deputy director Pramod Kumar Rout said the centre was shut due to the access issue. “A letter has been sent to the Telkoi tehsildar seeking land for a 150-foot-long and 30-foot-wide road. If the land is not made available, we will have to surrender the farm,” he said.
