By Manoj Kar
Kendrapara (Orissa), May 12: The bid to privatise the now-defunct nature-friendly World Bank-funded Jagatjore shrimp culture project in this coastal Orissa district has failed to take off with bidders shying away from the takeover of the sick unit.

In a prelude to the privatisation, the state government had earlier withdrawn the idle fisheries employees from the sick unit.

In December 2007 the state government has decided to hand over the environment-friendly shrimp culture project to a private concern in the face of dysfunctional state the project found itself over the years.

But the attempt came a cropper with none plunging into the bidding, informed official sources. With this, about Rs 25 crore spent for the project has gone down the drains.

After project staffs were given the marching orders, the ambitious shrimp culture project in Jagatjore-Banapada region had finally been given a burial for all practical purpose.

A high level committee on asset disposal had deliberated over the issue. The committee comprising senior officials of revenue and fisheries department had accorded approval for the winding up of the project keeping in view the chronic sickness of the project. The frequent occurrences of theft of asset of the project lying idle for more than five years had fastened its closure.

Even though there were several attempts to revive the ailing project, these failed to achieve the desired results. Official apathy coupled with infrastructural anomalies was the prime factor responsible for the fiasco.

As the region with its tropical climate and river deltas had enormous potential for brackish water shrimp farming, the World Bank had funded the project in 1996 by providing both technical and financial support to improve the condition of the impoverished marine fishermen.

Official sources said the Jagatjore project was simultaneously launched along with similar projects in Bhadrak district of the State and at Digha in West Bengal . While the Digha project has been a success following proper management and planning by the concerned government, the state's projects have met with disastrous consequences.

The Bhadrak project could not see the light of the day as the project area came under the purview of the Supreme Court's Coastal Regulation Zone provisions. The project was shelved midway, according to official sources.

The Jagatjore project was doomed to fail owing to tardy progress of construction work. Work on the project started in 1996 and was completed in 2001 after the expiry of the deadline. Expectedly, the cost of the project, pegged at Rs 14 crore, escalated to Rs 25 crore, inviting the displeasure of World Bank consultants.

The construction contract, which included the building of an approach road from Rajnagar to the project site, a bridge over a creek at Tantiapala, cyclone protection dykes, shrimp pond clusters, construction of high tension electric lines, modern water intake system, construction of environment-friendly drainage system, an effluent treatment system, and shrimp handling sheds, had been awarded to Chennai-based Dharti Dredging Construction Private Limited.

However the quality of construction was way below the mark and as a result, shrimp ponds and cyclone-protection dykes thrived amidst the possible danger of imminent cave in. The sewerage system was also not built in accordance with environmental guidelines.

To add to this, the effluent treatment plant had reportedly gone out of order since the day of its inception.

There has practically been no production from the said shrimp project. Production on trial basis also failed with the authorities unable to provide technical support linked with shrimp farming.