A state-of-the-art fish rearing and retail facility is set to come up in Nalban near Nicco Park from the end of this month. The State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC) has already received funds from the National Fisheries Development Board to start the project. And as a bonus for residents of Salt Lake, the fish reared here will be sold in the township as a pilot project.

According to Soumyajit Das, the managing director of SFDC, this is the first time that the central body is funding a project that will have a waterbody fed by sewage water.

“They were very happy with our proposal and have released funds for the same. We will start work later this month,” said Das.

According to Das, unlike other fishery projects they will have fish hatcheries in Nalban. “They will be similar to hatcheries for chicken where we will raise the fish inside specially-curated waterbodies from fish eggs.”

In most centres, SFDC would release fingerlings or small fish into the water and then raise them into bigger fishes. However, this time the body will create special pools with proper ambient temperature to raise fish from eggs.

“This facility will encompass everything that is required for a modern fish breeding centre,” said Das.

According to him, while home grown varieties of freshwater fish like Rohu and Katla will be reared Silver Pompano and Cobia will also be hatched here. At present, the SFDC has a fish hatchery project at Jamunadighi. The 10-hectare Nalban waterbody will be divided into sections where the fish will be reared.

“The Nalban waterbody is unique as it is a brackish water project where fish is reared in sewage fed pools of water,” said Das.

Apart from the rearing of fish, the project will focus on direct marketing of the fish and the corporation has zeroed in on Salt Lake for doing the same. “We will get solar powered vans and sell the fish in the township,” Das said.

According to him, everything on these vans will be powered by solar cells. “From the drive mechanism to the cooling unit fixed on the van, everything will be powered by solar cells that will charge the batteries on the go,” he said.

Residents will also be able to order fish through Smartfish, an app launched by SFDC earlier this year to get fish delivered at their doorstep in fillet, dressed, dry or pickle form.