Berhampur, Feb. 2: The forest department is going all out to make arrangements for the safe mass nesting of olive ridley turtles at the Rushikulya rookery in Ganjam district.

The turtle mass nesting is expected to take place during the second week of February.

"We have already made all arrangements including establishing observation camps, fencing coast with nets and patrolling in sea for protection of olive ridleys and their eggs during their mass nesting," said divisional forest officer, Berhampur division, Ashish Kumar Behera.

"There was no mass nesting last year. There was about 1,500 sporadic nesting along the five-km coastline from Purunabandha to Podempeta. Hostile weather conditions such as intermittent rain, beach erosion and absence of high velocity southern wind was the reason. The beach received intermittent rain on February 26, March 7, 13 and 17 last year. But this year, the conditions such as mating, congregation and weather are encouraging and we are ready for it," said Behera.

The forest department has deployed two speedboats and two trawlers with staff to guard the coast and restricted entry of fishing trawlers into the zone.

"We have opened a control room at Purunabandha to coordinate the initiatives. The five-km coastline from Purunabandha to Podempeta is being cleaned we are making it conducive for mass nesting. A total of 90 personnel will be deployed along the coastline in groups at a distance of 100 metres from one another. They will be responsible for counting the number of olive ridley turtles that come to the beach to lay eggs," Behera added.

Visitors will not be allowed to enter the net fencing. The few entrance points in the net fencing are only meant for forest department personnel, researchers and others who play a positive role in the conservation of olive ridleys.

"If anybody enters the net fencing without the permission of the forest department, they will be punished according to law," Behera said, while requesting the public not to disturb the sea turtles.

Rabindranath Sahu, secretary, Rushikulya Sea Turtle Protection Committee, said the mating of olive ridleys, which started November, was over. He said there was an encouraging number of congregations of turtles in the sea now.

"I hope that once the wind direction changes towards the sea, the olive ridleys will come out for mass nesting," said Sahu.