CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has ordered embedding of concrete pillars in the water to demarcate high tide line (HTL) in Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika National Park areas for demolition of prawn gherries.The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik issued the order while directing the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) to extend assistance to the collectors of Puri, Ganjam and Khurda districts in the identification of the HTL “to enable them to take effective steps to demolish illegal prawn gherries in the lake area”.
In its order on Thursday, the bench also directed CDA to assist the Collector of Kendrapara in clearing illegal prawn gherries in the HTL within 200 metres of Bhitarkanika National Park.In a PIL for the restoration of the ecology of Chilika and Bhitarkanika, the court was taking stock of the progress of removal of illegal prawn gherries from the two wetlands.Amicus Curiae Mohit Agarwal had sought direction from the collectors of the four districts - Puri, Ganjam, Khurda and Kendrapara to provide a detailed list of prawn culture farms with specific reference to their location site and distance from HTL.
Agarwal pointed out that the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011 prohibits prawn farms within 200 metres from HTL. In an affidavit Collector Puri Samarth Verma had stated that the tehsildar of Krishnaprasad tehsil had expressed difficulties in ascertaining the precise area within 200 meters of HTL. In this connection on June 1, 2022 the CDA was requested to take early steps for identification of HTL within 200 metres in Chilika Lake so that the eviction programme could be taken up, the affidavit said.
In the affidavit of Collector Kendrapara, it was stated that the Rajkanika tehsildar had reported 59 active illegal prawn gherries inside the HTL and they have been issued notices to discontinue the illegal practice. Of them 26 of the gherries are stated to have been demolished.
The Court had suo motu registered a PIL over threat to ecology of Chilika and Bhitarkanika in 2017. Subsequently, the Amicus Curiae had raised six issues to be considered by the Court for preservation of the two wetlands. The issues included illegal prawn culture, pollution, uncontrolled boat operation and oil spills, siltation, depletion of mangrove forest of Bhitarkanika and prawn culture by illegal Bangladeshi migrants.