Kendrapara: Forest personnel of Bhitarkanika National park led by ACFs Pradosh Patnaik and Harekrushna Mallick with the help of police and the executive magistrate demolished 90 hectares of prawn gharries, that was set up illegally at Hetamundia Protected Reserve Forest within Mahakalapada Forest Range, in last 48 hours, informed Bijay Kumar Parida, the ACF-Cum-Range in-charge of Mahakalapada Forest Range.
As the prawn gharries were set up illegally within protected forest by denuding mangrove forest, so the forest personnel earlier filed case against the prawn gharry owner and demolished the gharries. A single person allegedly set up prawn gharries on 90 hectares of forest land.
The forest department is going to regenerate mangrove vegetation on the evicted land in the coming days, added Parida, the ACF-cum-Range in charge of Mahakalapada forest Range.
The prawn mafias allegedly by denuding mangroves most of the time managed to set up dollar spinning prawn gharries at the forest land. Though, the forest personnel later demolished the prawn gharries, after some days they used to set up the prawn gharries on the said forest area, as it has been found in past, said locals.
PNN