KENDRAPARA: The district administration on Saturday demolished illegal prawn gheris at Baulakani, Petachela and Kansar villages near Bhitarkanika National Park.
Mahakalapada Tehsildar Ramesh Chandra Sethy said, “We have demolished around 300 acres of illegal shrimp farms over the forest and revenue land under police protection.
"Around 3000 acres of gheris in Mahakalapada block will be demolished soon. All the shrimp farms are illegal as they violate the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and the rulings of the Supreme Court and High Court.”
Earlier, paddy farmers alleged that unchecked growth of prawn farms have rendered around 3000 hectare of fertile farmland useless in seaside villages of the block due to release of the untreated effluent.
They also blocked the Kharinasi-Ramanagar main road demanding closure of illegal prawn gheris in the area on Monday.
“We are happy as the officials on Saturday started dismantling of prawn farms in our village. Prawn farm owners dump the waste of gheris in nearby rivers and ponds, thus polluting groundwater sources. Many influential persons managed to convert large tracts of Government and forest land forcefully into prawn farms,” said Aswini Mandal of Baulakani village.
On the other hand, many prawn farmers are up in arms over the decision of the authorities to demolish their farms.
“Paddy farming is not a profit making cultivation for which, we converted our lands into prawn gheris and the officials have no right to take any action against us,” said Manoj Mandal, a prawn farm owner of Baulakani.