Orissa Panel Recommends Ban On Prawn Culture

Expressing grave concern over the rampant encroachment of government, forest and private lands by the shrimp farms the committee has observed that all illegal prawn culturists, particularly those operating in the famous Chilka Lake, be evicted soon.

The committee was set up last year to study the problems of encroachment on government land and misutilisation of private land by the prawn farms and its consequent impact on agriculture and environment in the state.

The panel was chaired by the state revenue minister K C Lenka and

included ministers for environment and fisheries as members.

In an interim report submitted to the assembly yesterday the panel, which visited the coastal areas and interacted with a cross-section of people including the concerned district collectors and revenue divisional commissioners, observed that both intensive and semi-intensive prawn cultivation on forest and private land have aggravated the environmental pollution.

Stating that unauthorised fishing and prawn culture by the encroachers has reached an alarming proportion, the committe has rapped respective district administrations for not being able to stop the unlawful activities along the coast.

Though the existing law confers on the local authorities powers to take action against the encroachers no effective has been taken over the years, says the report.

This is mainly for want of required commitment and sincerity of the field functionary and failure of the collectors to rise to the occassion, the report stated.

The panel called for formulation of a long term acqua culture policy in the state keeping with the provision of the Environment Act 1986, the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms and Supreme Court orders in this reagrd.

The high powered panel observed that till then intensive and semi-intensive prawn culture should be legally banned in the state and the fishing activity should be restricted to capture a fish by the traditional fishermen in the region.

The report asked for equipping the district administration with adequate machineries, men, material and police personnel for carrying out operations to remove encroachment and obstruction in the lake, nullahs, rivers and swampy areas along the coast and enforcing the ban order.

Stressing on measures for permanent protection of the Chilka Lake, the report has strongly recommended government initiatives for a separate enactment in for protection and development of Chilka Lake with comprehensive provision to tackle all related issues like preservation of the lake and its surroundings, prevention of encroachment and obstruction, demarcation and management of sanctuaries and acqua culture, wildlife, tourism. It also recommended granting adequate power to the field functionaries to achieve the objective.

The committeee recommended for strict enforcement of law to prohibit conversion of private agricultural land for commercial prawn culture.

Expressing concern over the damage done to the agricultural land through the obstruction of free-flow of water by the prawn gheries in the coastal region, the panel has suggested setting up of special courts for quick disposal of cases pertaining to obstruction of free flow of water, unauthorised fishing, violation of coastal regulation zone and associated environmental offences. Besides, short term and long term measures should be taken to ensure strict compliance of CRZ and observance of national guideline for ecological conservation, the report said.

In Orissa, 31600 hectares of land have been identified along the 480 km coastline for prawn culture.

Of this 6187 were under traditional gheri culture, 3009 hectares under scientific prawn culture, 3364 hectares under extensive culture and 545 hectares under semi-intensive culture till end of last year.

While 13,900 hectares have been identified for brackish water prawn culture, the area of government land utilised for prawn culture is 10,096 hectares.