Minister for Sheep, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Abdul Ghani Kohli today visited wholesale and retail Fish marketing complex Narwal and took stock of remaining work on the building.The Minister inspected the works completed in the first phase and directed for expediting the work on second phase for which National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) has already released Rs 2.35 crore.During the visit, the Minister was informed that the construction of Modern Hygienic Fish Market was taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 3.25 crores and in the first instance, the construction of Laboratory , administrative building, Cold store and Ice plant building, Tube well and wholesale shops was taken up , which has been completed by incurring Rs 1.81 crore. It was further informed that the 2nd phase of the works of the project has been taken up after National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) sanctioned the remaining funds.
Under the second phase, the executing agency has taken up the construction of 40 retail fish sale counters and two more whole sale shops, public convenience and staff room, besides the drainage and effluent treatment plant. The Minister was informed that 90 % of work under second phase has also been completed against at an expenditure of Rs 2.00 crores.He was informed that the whole sale and retail market is nearing completion , while installation of machinery for Cold Storage and Ice plant will be shortly taken up for which state would get assistance from Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. As per the agreement with the NFDB, the wholesale shops and retail counters shall be allotted to the stake holders for a period of not more than 3 years against reasonable user fee which shall be ploughed back to meet the recurring expenditure of the maintenance of the fish market.The Minster directed the concerned authorities for early completion of remaining works on the fast track basis so that marketing facility can be provided to the stake holders at the earliest.Director Fisheries R. K Dogra, Joint Directors Fisheries Mohammad Amin and Mohammad Qasim, Deputy Director Marketing Kewal Krishan Khajuria and senior officers of allied department accompanied the Minister during the visit.