West Bengal to convert abandoned coal mines in Asansol to fish farms

The West Bengal government wants to proceed with the plan of the Left Front - when in power, the LF government had hit upon the idea of using the abandoned coal mines for fish cultivation. At long last, that plan seems to be gathering steam. The Bengal fisheries department and Eastern Coalfields Ltd have taken a decision to go in for a joint venture and start pisciculture in the abandoned open-cast mines in Asansol.
It would create employment opportunities, check pilferage of coal by jobless youths and produce fish - preference would be for the large ones like rohu and katla which are always in demand.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 25 July 2016.

There are 78 abandoned mines in Asansol's coal belt that have water reserves - accumulated rainwater and underground water and, already meetings have been held with the ECL management. MOU is expected to be signed before the upcoming Durga Puja.
As per the fisheries department officials, there is sufficient water available over a 260-hectare surface area in the 78 mines and 7,800 tonnes of fish can be farmed a year there. In the last fiscal, Burdwan had produced 1.28 lakh tonnes of fish and this was less than the district's demand of around 1.4 lakh tonnes. Obviously, it would be a win-win proposition.


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