Power as a weapon
With the first phase of the Jharkhand assembly election over yesterday and the Maharashtra polls scheduled for November 20, a scrutiny of candidates’ affidavits has once again sparked public interest.
Odisha police have registered criminal cases against as many as 141 illegal occupiers of land who erected prawn dykes at the internationally acclaimed Bhitarkanika wetland site.
On Orissa High Court’s directions, the revenue, forest and police department in a joint operation have undertaken the demolition of the earthen prawn dykes that have unlawfully sprouted up along the wetland areas. After the areas are cleared, authorities have decided to regenerate mangroves along the denuded patches.
“We have registered cases against 141 persons in this connection on the complaint lodged by Kendrapara Sub Collector. Criminal cases have been registered under section-3(1) of The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984”, said Tapan Kumar Nayak, Inspector Rajnagar police station.
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Earlier the Orissa High Court on 30 May ordered the authorities to evict all the illegal prawn gherries at the both eco- sensitive Ramsar sites Chilika and Bhitarkanika . The court has also directed the authorities to destroy the seized materials and machinery from the prawn farm owners apart from filing criminal cases against them. The directive comes after hearing into a case registered suo motu by the court on the basis of Supreme Court’s order regarding protection of wetlands. Acting on the order of the High Court, we filed FIRs against the illegal prawn farm owners, said Niranjan Behera the Sub- Collector of Kendrapara.
Green activists are however of the view that large areas are under unlawful and environmentally-damaging prawn cultivation.
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