On October 24, 2016, the then Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj, during his visit to Vijayapura, announced that the aquarium in the city would be the first in the State to have the facility to sell ornamental fish at subsidised rates. He directed officials to prepare a report on the plan and submit it to the government.
But even after two years, no such facility has materialised at the aquarium, located near the District Horticulture Office on Station Road. The aquarium, which is maintained by the zilla panchayat, is still only displaying ornamental fish to people, mainly children.
According to officials in the Fisheries Department, they had submitted a report to the government seeking approval. “But we got a reply that since there was no provision for selling fish from any aquarium maintained by the government, permission would not be granted,” an official said.
He, however, admitted that there was great demand for the sale of ornamental fish as they found buying fish and containers from private pet shops too expensive. “Many people come to us and ask for fish, but since we don’t have any provision to sell them, we are helpless,” the official said.
When contacted, zilla panchayat CEO Vikas Suralkar said he was not aware of any such proposal since he had taken charge only recently. He promised to study the details of the matter. “I will first contact the officials who submitted the report. If it possible to resend the proposal, I will do that. At the same time, if there is a provision for the zilla panchayat to directly start the project by inviting tenders, it would be easier for us to start selling ornamental fish here. I will take a final call only after going through the details,” he said.
