Paradip, May 24: Authorities here have launched a drive to dismantle illegal prawn cultivation enclosures that have come up on encroached revenue land close to the Bhitarkanika National Park.

In violation of forest and environment protection laws, nearly 400 acres of revenue land have been encroached upon for illegal prawn farming in the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Around a dozen prawn dykes have so far been demolished while three acres of the encroached land has been reclaimed from the occupation of illegal prawn farmers, said an official.

The administration had earlier conducted a survey of encroached government land and found prawn culturists occupying it. The drive to demolish these enclosures is now on. A target has been set to dismantle all the prawn farming dykes within a month, said Kendrapara collector Debraj Senapati. Cases under the Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment Act have been registered against all the encroachers, he said.

Within the 672sqkm-stretch of the sanctuary, 377.76 acres of revenue land has been taken up for illegal prawn farming in as many as 19 human settlements. A total of 356 prawn dykes (gheries) have sprouted up on the revenue land at these villages, which fall in Rangani, Talchua, Righagarh and Gupti revenue circles. Rangani gram panchayat accounts for most of the encroachment with construction of 241 unlawful prawn gheries, said the official.

The reclaimed land will be taken up for mangrove regeneration programme with the forest department's assistance, he said. Allegations are flying thick and fast that prawn farming has been allowed with the covert patronage of both revenue and forest department officials.

The revenue department is empowered to evict the encroachers and institute criminal cases against them. The forest officials are also empowered to demolish the gheries. However, both departments remain mute spectator as prawn faming flourishes in the eco-sensitive zones.