It could just have been the perfect spot for all the little boys not just down the lane, but from far and near Asian countries as well to come singing Ba Ba Black Sheep, and go wild with wonder at the number of sheep, and not just black ones obviously, all around them.

Designed to be the biggest sheep breeding centre in Asia, it was a fate it could have had, but very predictably as things so often turn out in the country, it didn?t have.

Now, the government?s decision to pump in Rs 80 lakh to give the farm in Chatra a facelift has raised hopes that once again it can be revived to the glory it did enjoy for some years after it was established, which was in 1961, with 3,000 sheep. If that number sounds impressive, what?s left now is truly depressing. With 110 sheep, the centre is struggling for existence.

Considering that when it was started, crores were apparently spent to shape it up, it?s really in a sad mess today. It was planned in a way that the centre should have every amenity needed within reach. The officials and staff posted here were not neglected either and good quarters were made for them, and a dam constructed to meet the water supply needs.

All was well for many years, and people says that even till 1990, purchasers from various parts of the state would regularly troop in to buy wool, and the breeders never even had to venture out in search of them.

But the good times didn?t last. Various excuses are thrown around for the decline in conditions. Some say it?s official apathy, the complete neglect by concerned officials, Naxalite intrusion into the region, and the gradual drying up of tourists, who once came in impressive numbers attracted by the beauty of the region. With the maintenance standards falling, tourists were bound to keep away, and there?s nothing surprising about it.

The overall neglect led to the decline in the number of sheep, and the officials posted there were also gradually shifted to other quarters, due to the dilapidated condition the whole place was in.

As many of them preferred to leave or retired with time, no fresh recruitment was done. At present it has a 24 member staff, led by a project officer, and three old shepherds, who are hardly upto the task of looking after the huge task at hand.

The grass, which was once particularly planted with care for the sheep, is dry and the sheep have to be taken to the nearby forest area to graze. The water supply too has dried up, with technical snags having developed in the pump sets.

Hardly problems that cannot be solved. Though sources say the amount sanctioned is not enough, it?s something to start with, provided it is put to good use. And it?s been long due. A department official said agriculture minister Satyanand Bhokta, who is also a Chatra legislator, played a role in getting it sanctioned. It is he who brought chief minister Arjun Munda to the centre recently to show him the poor condition of the farm, who assured the officials all help.

There is hope that the farm will be restored to its former glory, though there are still many misgivings, specially regarding the strong presence of Maoist outfits in the Chatra area. Local people hope that the authorities will look into that problem, too, and the farm will once again be what it had been so beautifully visualised as.

Vishvendu Jaipuriar