India’s first integrated aqua park will be set up in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh for developing the fisheries sector in the state, chief minister Pema Khandu informed on Saturday.
The park will be set up at Tarin in Ziro area of the district with an estimated cost of Rs 43.59 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Matasya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), as per an official document.
“It was a dream of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji to establish an Aqua Park in every state. Happy to share that under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the first Aqua Park of India is sanctioned to Arunachal”, Khandu said on Twitter.
Out of the total expenditure on the park, around Rs 39.23 crores will be given by the Central government, as per the department of fisheries. The Central government will release its share of the funds in four equal instalments.
“The release of each instalment will subject to utilization of at least 75 per cent of the funds previously released,” as per the fisheries department.
The proposal was approved by the Project Appraisal Committee in a meeting held on July 19 this year.
The PMMSY scheme aims to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India.
Ziro Valley, mainly inhabited by the people belonging to the Apatani tribe, is known for paddy-cum-pisciculture cultivation in which paddy and fish are cultivated together in agricultural fields.
The fish farm in Tarin was established in a high-altitude area in the district in 1985-1986 under a scheme of the North East Council (NEC), a nodal agency for the economic and social development of the region.
The farm is surrounded by groves of pine and bamboo and is spread over a 7.4 hectares area having around 74 ponds. The farm is a popular tourist attraction and is known for breeding high-altitude fish.