Villagers oppose eco-sensitive zone around Bhitarkanika

KENDRAPADA: Many villagers have strongly opposed the Centre's recent notification, declaring 446.40 sq km, covering 192 villages, around the Bhitarkanika National Park and the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Kendrapada district as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). They claimed it would adversely affect the infrastructure development projects in the area.
Bhitarkanika is touted as the country's second largest mangrove forest after Sundarbans in West Bengal and Gahirmatha is considered the world's largest rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtles."The proposed ESZ would threaten the existence of people living near the Bhitarkanika. The ESZ will also completely stall all the development works in the villages in the name of conservation," alleged Jagabandhu Nayak, former chairman of Rajnagar block.
"We are not in favour of extending the ESZ to areas, where there are human settlements," added Nayak.
Rajnagar MLA Ansuman Mohanty said, "We will write to the Centre to exclude many villages from the ESZ. We are determined to preserve the ecosystem of the Bhitarkanika. But the authorities have no right to stall infrastructure development projects like construction of bridges, concrete roads, stone packing and saline embankments under the plea of ESZ."
"Many persons have been eking out their living by doing shrimp farming in their villages. But ESZ prohibits shrimp farming within two-km radius of Bhitarkanika for which we have decided to oppose the move," said Khageswar Lenka, sarapanch of Gupti.
"The Union government had on October 21, 2014, issued a draft notification, identifying the ESZ, and invited suggestions and objections from the locals within two months . Many villagers and environmentalists submitted their suggestions and objections, but our suggestions were not considered by the Union government," alleged Lenka.
The new ESZ guidelines, declared by the ministry on June 16t would also ensure that these areas act as shock absorbers to the protected areas.
The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around Bhitarkanika and Gahiramatha so as to minimize the negative impacts of activities on the fragile ecosystem. Bhitarkanika 's water bodies are the home to more than 1,600 salt water crocodile. "The mangrove forest, crocodiles, spotted deer and other animals of Bhitarkanika and Olive Ridley sea turtles will be protected through the ESZ," said DFO, Bhitarkanika, Bimal Prasan Acharya.