Surat: 77 village ponds to be rented out for fish cultivation; income to aid development work

Following the exercise, 77 ponds successful antithetic villages successful Surat territory were identified and recovered feasible for food farming. The officials talked to the colony sarpanchs and convinced them that the gross incurred could scope betwixt Rs 3 lakh and Rs 10 lakh per year, depending upon the size of the pond, said the sources.

Following the motion from the sarpanchs, the section officials prepared a last study and handed it implicit to Surat District Development Officer Shivani Goyal.

Sources successful District Panchayat said that retired of 77 ponds successful 70 villages, 57 are successful Olpad taluka; 8 successful Mandvi; 3 each successful Mahuva, Mangrol and Palsana; 2 successful Bardoli; and 1 successful Kamrej. The fisheries section officials besides collected a missive of consent from the Gram Panchayat.

Goyal said the tendering process volition statesman successful the adjacent mates of days. “The bureau identified for the intent volition person a declaration of 5 years for food farming; each year, they volition wage the rent magnitude to the Gram Panchayat. We are moving connected mounting the upset worth and agencies paying the higher magnitude volition beryllium fixed the contract. Our relation is to transportation retired the tendering process and spot if the information laid retired successful the declaration is being decently followed by the bureau oregon not,” said Goyal.

Clarifying that determination is nary regularisation connected villagers utilizing the water, she said, “There are immoderate villages that person refrained from giving the ponds for the purpose, but erstwhile the food farming starts successful the 77 ponds, we expect them to travel round.”

There are implicit 586 villages successful Surat territory and the survey was conducted successful each of them. Throwing further airy connected the exercise, Goyal said, “There are ponds that get dried up during the summertime season; they person not been included successful the survey. We person made a proviso successful the tendering process that the bureau should prosecute section youths to instrumentality attraction of the ponds and different activities related to food farming.”

On the criteria for selecting the agencies, she said, “There is nary obstruction earlier the agencies; they tin beryllium from anywhere. The further income generated done specified ponds volition assistance the Gram Panchayat transportation retired much improvement activities successful the village, which would yet payment the villagers. By giving the ponds connected contract, their upkeep is besides ensured since the bureau volition look aft them.”