By admin 
Cuttack, 02/01/26(AMA AITIHA) : Controversy is not leaving the aquarium gallery of the Naval Museum. The death of 11 rainbow and barb fish three months ago due to water poisoning and the previous incident of faulty tender is still under investigation, while about 40 percent of the Japanese Koi fish in the aquarium’s koi tank are infected with a fungus. The issue of fungal infection has become more controversial. The stomachs of the fungus-infected koi fish have swollen and the condition has been critical for three/four days, but no preventive measures have been taken so far. Although quarantine and treatment were kept in the aquarium, the same has not been done in the case of the infected fish. The Aquarium Gallery of the Naval Museum has 13 glass tanks and a pond, which houses 30 Japanese Koi fish. The entire Aquarium Gallery has a total of 648 fish of various species, including large and small. Among them are rare species such as Japanese Koi, Snake Skin Oscar, Piranha, Cichlid, and Haitian Clam, which are endangered or found in very few places in the world, which require special care. It is worth noting that the Aquarium Gallery of the Museum is a center of attraction for tourists. It also houses rare carnivorous fish, which require 65 kilograms of chicken meat and 10 kilograms of chicken liver per month for their food. During the tourist season, a daily fee of Rs 15,000 is collected from this gallery alone. The entire aquarium is maintained by a private company and tenders are called for it once every three years. The tender dispute this time has reached the High Court due to the controversy. On September 28, the water was poisoned and exotic fish also died and the police investigation is underway. A year and a half ago, there was an auto-heater system for the fish in the koi pond, but this koi pond does not have such a system. While the cost of a single Japanese koi fish is 30,000 to 50,000 rupees, the necessary care is not being taken in this regard. On the other hand, the importance given to its maintenance at the government level is evident in the incidents of poisoned water, fish death and infection. Since it was not possible to contact the museum authorities, no response was received regarding the incident.