Call to demolish constructions in mangrove forest site

Kakinada: Environmentalist and Jana Sena leader Bolisetty Satyanarayana has sought demolition of all constructions in mangroves under Coringa Sanctuary near Kakinada Port, in view of enforcement of the Biodiversity Act in 2004.

Three years ago, Deccan Chronicle highlighted the destruction of mangroves at Kakinada for the ‘housing for the poor’ project by the district officials. Based on this report, Bolisetty Satyanarayana filed a case before
the National Green Tribunal.

Satyanarayana and ornithologist K. Mruthyunjaya Rao visited the mangrove site near Dummulapeta here on Thursday and observed the development of mangroves.

The environmentalist said that he approached NGT after Deccan Chronicle brought the destruction of mangroves to limelight some time ago. “The tribunal has delivered a clear order that the mangroves should be restored
and it also suggested guidelines for this. But, the Kakinada district administration has not taken due note of the judgement. Hence, I approached NGT again.”

Following this, the NGT issued orders to the district officials. The officials headed by collector Kritika Shukla submitted an affidavit in October with a promise to restore the mangroves. “The officials were trying
to plant mangrove saplings with non-salt water. I stopped this type of transplantation on the upper layer of the land,” he said.

Satyanarayana said that the mangroves should grow in their natural surroundings. The government should dig out the soil --that had been used to fill up the land after the destruction — and level the site before the new
mangroves are planted, he said.

Though the district officials had promised the NGT to restore the mangroves in a time-bound manner, there is no headway to the restoration of mangroves.

Mruthyunjaya Rao said mangroves should not be cut under any circumstance, especially for housing, as “mangroves are grown in salty waters, where sea-waters flow in.”

He said that due to destruction of the mangroves in various places including Kakinada, the number of bees has drastically fallen and these are about to vanish in the near future.

“Bees are most important for protecting biodiversity and food production. Governments should not tolerate destruction of mangroves,” he pleaded.