Kendrapara: Mushrooming of illegal prawn gheries has threatened the law and order situation and encroachment of government land and water bodies in seaside Mahakalapara and Rajkanika blocks in this district.
So much so that this has led a to a rise in crime graph in the areas with various criminal outfits trying to call the shots for the lure of easy money. Establishment of illegal prawn gheries is not limited to these two blocks.
The matter came to the fore at a press conference at Rajkanika block October 6. Pratima Rout of Koilipur village under the block alleged that her husband Pitambar Rout was kidnapped by the henchmen of some prawn traders September 30. She lodged a complaint in Rajkanika police station.
Pitambar is not the lone person to be kidnapped by prawn traders but there are several others who have been kidnapped or killed in the recent past. Mushrooming of illegal prawn gheries has turned the district into a breeding ground of criminals.
In the recent past, members of the Sapo gang kidnapped a youth of Kurunti village under Rajnagar block and tortured him to death. Use of firearms to settle scores has become common in the district.
Moreover, miscreants are not hesitating to encroach on water bodies like nullahs and creeks and forest lands. The district administration has received several complaints in the past but is yet to take serious action on them.
In 2017, saline water drawn through a channel for prawn gheries destroying crops on adjacent farmlands led to a serious face-off between farmers and prawn traders. The farmers had lodged a complaint with the district administration and staged a road blockade following which the latter demolished the prawn gheries.
A similar incident happened in Mahakalapara block in June this year. Farmers alleged establishment of prawn gheries on forest land near Ramnagar bridge and staged a sit-in outside the district collectorate.
Senior citizens Bidhu Bhushan Mohapatra, Amarbar Biswal and Ranjit Swain alleged establishment of illegal prawn gheries has vitiated the atmosphere and robbed them of peace.
Common people fall easy victims. They warned that if timely step is not taken, the law and order situation might deteriorate. When contacted, ASP Brahmananda Gagarin Mohanty admitted to such incidents, stating that police are taking action whenever it receives complaints. Recently, police arrested many members of the Sapo gang for their involvement in violence over prawn gheri. Moreover, kidnapping of Pitambar Rout is being probed and very soon the accused will be arrested, he added.
PNN