Bhitarkanika to clear forest land used for unauthorised prawn farming

KENDRAPARA (ODISHA): Bhitarkanika national park authorities in Kendrapara district will soon launch a drive to free around 5,000 acres of forest land allegedly under unauthorised occupation of prawn farmers.

Around 500 prawn gheries (farms) that have come up in prohibited coastal regulation zone (CRZ) territory and cases cases have been registered against the unauthorised prawn cultivators, the forest officials said.

Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) forest officer Bimal Prasanna Acharya said many prawn farms in coastal regulation zone have been spotted and measures taken to demolish them.

The 9-Km stretch deltaic region of Petsala River passing though park-side Jusunpur and Purusottampur villages are under land-grabbing by unauthorised prawn culturists.

"We have registered cases under section 4,14 and 21 of Forest conservation act, 1980 and various other provisions of Wildlife protection act, 19 72 and CRZ clauses. The offenders operating the prawn farms are absconding," he said.

There are reports of CRZ land being leased out for prawn farming. Forest department has taken up the matter with revenue officials for cancellation of lease deeds, he said.

Fresh demolition exercise is shortly being undertaken and the help of revenue and police has been sought to avert law and order problems.

"Forest department is intent on clearing encroachment and any form of human activity in the forest area. Stringent legal action would be taken against offenders. There would be constant watch and vigil by mobile squads to prevent prawn gheries from coming up," he said

The areas now under prawn cultivation would be taken up under mangrove regeneration scheme. And the union ministry of forest and environment would fund scheme under Management Action Plan for Mangroves, Acharya said.

The department has succeeded in regenerating mangrove species in about 2000 hectares of denuded area in last three years. These areas, once ravaged by prawn faming, now have luxuriant look of lush-green mangrove species, officials told.