Boita Bandana: Odisha celebrates its maritime legacy
Boita Bandana celebrates Odisha's maritime heritage with miniature boats, cultural events, and a tribute to the sea god Varuna.
The Orissa High Court has directed the State government to take concrete steps including the filling up vacant posts in marine police stations in a time bound manner for preventing illegal fishing along the prohibited sea water and consequent trawling-induced deaths of Olive Ridley turtles.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice DR. S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik said “If the Government has to be serious about deterring such incursions by trawlers into the prohibited zone, concerted action has to be taken on several fronts including filling up of the vacant posts in the marine police stations in a time bound manner”.
The Amicus Curiae has filed a report on two incidents that have taken place in the jurisdiction of the Astaranga Marine Police Station – one on 26 December, 2021 and the other on 31 January, 2022. During both incidents, of the several trawlers that unauthorisedly entered the protected area only a few could be apprehended, the High Court bench stated in an order on Wednesday.
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Although a response has been filed by the State Government to the report on 7 March by and large admitting the above facts, concrete steps that require to be taken for preventing such incidents in future have not been spelt out therein. The Amicus Curiae has pointed out how more than 50% of the posts in all the marine police stations are lying vacant.
The High Court posted the matter for further hearing on 26 April next and sought for the government response of the State Government in this regard (curbing of illegal trawling) in the form of an affidavit setting out the time.
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