KENDRAPARA: Forest officials demolished illegal prawn gheris on 200 acres at Batighar, Badatubi and Bhetamundia within Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district on Saturday. Bhitarkanika National Park DFO Bimal Prasan Acharya said the Forest department, along with police personnel, demolished illegal shrimp farms on 200 acres on forest land in the last two days.
“We will demolish around 2,000 acres of illegal shrimp farms within the park soon,” he said. Acharya said all shrimp farms in the park are illegal as they violate the Coastal Regulation Zone and rulings of the Supreme Court and the High Court. The DFO said mushrooming of illegal shrimp farms is responsible for reduction of fertility of agricultural land near the seaside villages.
Farmers cultivating shrimp without registering with Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) are liable to be imprisoned for three years along with a fine of up to Rs one lakh.
“It is mandatory for all shrimp farms to be registered under the provisions of Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act and Rules, 2005. The Act requires registration of all shrimp farms on either side of rivers, creeks and canals up to a distance of 5 km from high tide level. Shrimp farms not registered as per norms are liable to be demolished,” he said.
Gahirmatha Marine Turtle and Mangrove Conservation Society secretary Hemant Rout said three years back, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had declared 192 villages around Bhitarkanika National Park as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ)s to prevent ecological damage caused due to developmental activities around the park, which is known as India’s second largest mangrove forest after the Sundarbans in West Bengal. He said ESZ prohibits shrimp farming within 2 km for Bhitarkanika.