Kendrapara (Odisha), March 20 A joint operation by the Bhitarkanika National Park, the Revenue Department, and the police on Friday demolished unauthorized prawn ponds on the outskirts of the park in Kendrapara district, violating coastal regulation zone rules, an official said.
Acres of encroached government land were reclaimed after the operation. These plots were being illegally occupied by prawn farmers.
The construction of prawn ponds was illegal as these plots extended into prohibited Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas, said Assistant Conservator of Forest, Manas Das.
The demolition of the ponds (locally called "gheries") was carried out along the forest-side areas on the fringes of the national park. The gheries were dismantled with the presence of armed police. The operation was peaceful, with no reports of any incidents, said officials.
"The reclaimed areas will be used for a mangrove regeneration program so that prawn farmers will not re-occupy the encroachment-free areas. The mangrove plantation work will begin within a week," the official said.
He said that the reclaimed areas are suitable for mangrove regeneration due to the regular inflow of tidal waters.
Noting that a task force comprising senior and experienced forest protection officials has been constituted, the official said that public awareness about mangrove protection is being generated, and residents of nearby villages are beginning to realize that mangroves are a time-tested natural barrier against tidal surges and cyclones.