Orissa High Court starts monitoring PIL for protection of six Ramsar sites in state
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has fixed February 12 to start monitoring measures taken for conservation of six wetlands in the state which are internationally recognised under the Ramsar Convention.
The wetlands include Chilika lake spanning 1,16, 500 hectare, Bhitarkanika mangroves 65,000 hectare, Satkosia gorge 98,197 hectare, Tampara lake 300 hectare, Hirakud reservoir 65,400 hectare and Ansupa lake 231 hectare.
On December 11 last year, the Supreme Court directed each of state/UT wetland authorities to complete ground truthing as well as the demarcation of wetland boundaries of each of the wetlands which have been identified by Space Applications Centre Atlas (SAC Atlas), 2021, within three months. The apex court had also directed the high court to ensure that the Ramsar sites within their jurisdiction were properly maintained.
Accordingly, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice MS Sahoo initiated a suo motu PIL on January 22 for conservation of the six wetlands spread over a total area of 3,45,628 hectares. The bench sought affidavits from the state authorities, including the State Wetland Development Authority by February 12 on steps taken for implementation of the Supreme Court order.
The SC issued the order as a continuation of its order issued on April 3, 2017, to 15 high courts (Orissa High Court included) to initiate suo motu PIL to conserve 26 major wetlands within their jurisdiction which were Ramsar sites. The Orissa HC had then registered a PIL for conservation of Chilika lake and Bhitarkanika mangroves which were designated as Ramsar sites on October 1, 1981 and August 18, 2002 respectively, and appointed advocate Mohit Agarwal as amicus curiae on September 19, 2017, to assist it.
The Acting Chief Justice Sinha bench tagged the PIL initiated on January 22 with the PIL started in 2017, while expanding the HC’s monitoring area to Satkosia gorge, Tampara lake, Hirakud reservoir and Ansupa lake.
As things stand today, the HC has been monitoring for the past seven years identification of the areas where illegal prawn culture is going on and demolition of such illegal prawn gheries, eviction of illegal occupants and then simultaneous lodging of criminal prosecution against the offenders.
The HC had started the proactive conservation measures following submission of a report by the amicus curiae which raised six issues for preservation of Chilika lake and Bhitarkanika mangroves.