KENDRAPARA: Illegal shrimp farms on 200 hectare land were demolished in Hariabanka village within Mahakalapada forest range on Tuesday.
Mahakalapada tehsildar Sovagya Ranjan Panda said block officials with the help of forest and revenue departments demolished the shrimp farms as they violated the norms of Coastal Regulation Zone and rulings of Supreme Court and High Court. He said mangrove saplings will planted on the land on which the illegal shrimp farms were functioning.
District fisheries officer Mamata Mohapatra said 729 shrimp farmers in the district have registered their farms, spread over 1,400-acre land, as per norms. The rest of the farms are illegal.
However, several shrimp farmers are up in arms against the decision of the authorities to demolish their farms.
They said since paddy cultivation is not lucrative anymore in seaside villages, they have the right to convert their farms to prawn gheris.