Rajahmundry: Even as the state government wants to downsize the Kolleru sanctuary from plus-five contours to plus three contours and mounts pressure on the Centre to accept it, no scientific survey has be-en carried out to demarcate the boundaries of the sanctuary so far.
The demarcation of the boundaries of the sanctuary was done several years ago and a major portion of it is under encroachment to carry out pisciculture for commercial purpose. According to an estimate, the sanctuary is spread over 77,000 acres of land and in case its size is reduced, nearly 44,000 acres may go out of the sanctuary limits. Moreover, the sanctuary is also having about 14,000 acres Zirayithee land and nearly 100 families live there.
As these lands were given away to them long ago and they were in possession of title deeds, a majority of the land owners have given away their lands on lease to fish mafia to take up pisciculture in a big way.
Though the state government had carried out demolition of illegal fish tanks in 2006 to protect the sanctuary and its ecology, the momentum subsided subsequently. Later, the Congress government passed a resolution asking the Centre to downsize the sanctuary limits.
As the issue has been pending for so long and the families affected during the demolition of illegal fish tanks, have not been paid any relief so far, the land owners have already leased their land out to the fish mafia while some others encroached upon the land and started pisciculture.
Subsequently, the Centre has appointed a committee headed by Prof. Raman Sukumar to study the impact of downsizing the sanctuary. It is yet to submit its report to the Centre.
Environmentalists blame the state government for failing to provide relief to the people living in Zyrayithee land and also failing to regulate the encroachment on the sanctuary area to dig up fish tanks in hundreds of acres of land and take up pisciculture.
This has resulted in law and order problem at frequent intervals at Kolleru villages as the fish mafia in the guise of villagers raise fish in tanks and sell them to get good money with the support of local political leaders even as a section of forest officials oppose such moves.
Recently, a Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) in-charge at Eluru offered to go on leave if he is subjected to a lot of pressure by the fish mafia and the local politicians to allow illegal culture of fish at Kolleru.
Subsequently, the DFO identified as Siva Sankar Reddy went on three week's leave. Though forest officials say that he went on leave on medical grounds, fact is that he was under intense pressure to allow illegal activities.
Environmentalist T. Pantanjali Sastri said, “Already commercial fish culture is going on in a large manner and the fish mafia is spreading to new areas by encroaching. If the government downsizes the sanctuary limit, it will legitimise all illegal activities going on at present. I wonder how the sanctity of the sanctuary will be protected when effluents from huge fish tanks get released into the water bodies on a regular basis.”
A senior forest official said, “Unless the committee submits its report, the government may not take any decision on downsizing the sanctuary. Moreover, as the boundary of the sanctuary was notified earlier, there is no question of a scientific survey unless the government wants it to be done again.”
