Odisha: Forest land reclaimed from unauthorized occupants for mangrove regeneration

The Bhitarkanika National Park authorities in Odisha’s Kendrapara district have reclaimed around 11 hectares of forest land which was under the unlawful occupation of prawn culturists in an ongoing drive.

As many as 26 prawn dykes (locally called gheries) have so far been demolished during the exercise that got underway on 20 March. Nearly 11 hectares of encroached forest land lying on the fringe of swampy mangrove forest has so far been reclaimed from the squatters. The reclaimed forest land will now be taken up for the mangrove regeneration programme, said Manas Das, Assistant Conservator of Forest.

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These plots were under unauthorized occupation of prawn farmers. The erection of prawn dykes was unlawful as these plots had spilled into prohibited Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas, said Manas Das, Assistant Conservator of Forest.

“The Forest Department has detected the operation of around 1,000 prawn dykes covering around 200 hectares of forest area within the national park limits. We have set the target to dismantle all the illegal dykes within a fortnight,” he said.

The reclaimed patches are being taken up for the mangrove regeneration programme so that prawn farmers would not reoccupy the encroachment-free areas. The mangrove plantation work would begin on a war-footing once the dyke demolition drive ends. The reclaimed areas are conducive for mangrove regeneration as there is regular inflow of tidal waters, added the officer.

Conceding the fact that similar exercise undertaken in the past has not been entirely successful in checking the mangrove degradation, the forest officials said the eviction drive is being launched in a well-oiled manner this time.

A task force comprising senior and experienced forest protection officials has been constituted. Public awareness is being generated on the mangrove protection and residents of nearby villages are beginning to realize that mangrove is a time-tested natural barrier against tidal surge and cyclones.

Green activists are however of the view that large areas are under unlawful and environmentally-damaging prawn cultivation.

“Provisions of clauses Coastal Regulation Zone, environment protection law, and forest conservation act are being contravened. Besides influential land-grabbers and prawn mafias are infringing Orissa land encroachment act. The revenue department is empowered to evict them and institute criminal cases against the encroachers while the forest officials are also empowered to demolish the gheries. However both the agencies silently watch and allow the environmentally-damaging prawn farming to flourish in eco-sensitive zones close to the Bhitarkanika national park,” alleged environment activist Biswajit Mohanty.