Kendrapara: Residents of Charigharia village, located inside the Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district, are reportedly planning to intensify their agitation for adequate resettlement as their decade-old struggle over the same has yielded no results so far.

At present, over 70 households in the village, which falls under Rajnagar Forest Division, are living in a perpetual state of anxiety as they have been slapped with repeated eviction notices from the Forest department, while the district administration has started preparations for their eviction without making any resettlement arrangements, reports said.

They demand their rehabilitation in line with the relocation of Satabhaya villagers in the Rajnagar block to Bagapatia. The relocation of Satabhaya residents was necessitated due to coastal erosion. “We have been fighting for relocation to Bagapatia for over a decade now. However, a recent eviction notice has heightened our concerns.” Santosh Kumar Sarkar is a resident of Charigharia village.

Sarkar claimed that their ancestors had been living in the area long before Bhitarkanika was declared a national park. In the aftermath of the 1971 cyclone, four families settled down in the area, giving rise to the name ‘Charigharia Sahi. ’ At present, the number of households has grown to over 70.

The Central government declared Bhitarkanika a wildlife sanctuary in 1975 and upgraded it to a national park in 1998. According to villager Reshmi Das, life in Charigharia has become increasingly dangerous. “The Forest department has dug canals near the village, which have become breeding grounds for crocodiles.

Villagers and livestock frequently fall victim to crocodile and other wildlife attacks,” Das said. She said that despite living in a forest area, strict restrictions imposed by the Forest department have hindered their traditional livelihood activities, such as firewood collection.

While many villagers are willing to relocate, they expressed frustration over the administration’s alleged lack of urgency in facilitating the process. Sukumar Das, another villager, stated that the villagers are ready to shift immediately if the government includes them in the resettlement plan and provides land and financial assistance in Bagapatia.

He said the villagers have staged repeated protests and hunger strikes over the demand for fair resettlement. Meanwhile, the Tesildar, Amiya Kumar Swain, said that the process of relocating Charigharia residents to Bagapatia is under consideration.

“A total of 148 families have been identifi ed for relocation,” he said. Swain claimed that ‘some individuals’ are trying to claim multiple plots under the resettlement scheme.

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Kendrapara: Many villagers earlier displaced from Satabhaya area in Rajnagar block of Kendrapara raised their voices Sunday against admin neglect alleging that they have been living sans livelihoods.

“After displacement from the ancestral lands, our lives were saved. However, we lost the livelihoods. It has become very difficult for us to manage families and meet household expenses,” some locals rued.

A source said that the erstwhile residents of Satabhaya cluster village were rehabilitated in Gupti and Bagapatia. They have been provided with some basic amenities, but much more is needed to be done.

At the time of rehabilitation, each of Satabhaya villagers had got just 10 decimals of land at the designated colonies in Gupti and Bagapatia to construct a house to reside. On the contrary, erstwhile Satabhaya village was a fertile region for carrying out all agricultural activities.

Also read: Farmers thrash Pattamundai tehsildar over ‘inaction’

Besides, Biju pucca ghar, electricity, drinking water, road and school including Anganwadi centre were provided, the source added.

“Without a stable source of earning, many of us have migrated to other states including Kerala and Tamil Nadu in search of work and turned migrant labourers,” several residents in Bagapatia stated.

Residents of Bagapatia rehabilitation colony are yet to be issued their Records of Right (RORs). Hence, they are in apprehension that the district administration may ask them at any time to vacate as they have not been recognised as bonafide owners of respective lands.

It is pertinent to mention here that Satabhaya previously was a cluster of seven villages. Due to major changes in the local environment, especially sea incursion, the number has now come down to two.

After long days of demand, the residents of sea-ravaged Satabhaya panchayat were rehabilitated by the Odisha government in 2012.

Satabhaya and Kanpur villages still exist and the five other villages namely Gobindpur, Mohanpur, Chintamanipur, Bada Gahirmatha and Kharikula were gradually washed away due to the sea incursion.

Descendants of the former ruler of Kanika had established the cluster of villages constituting a panchayat in the coastline of Bay of Bengal. Satabhaya was then a large village owned by seven royal brothers.

At the entrance of this cluster village was the shrine of presiding deity goddess Panchu Barahi. The state government had rehabilitated as many as 571 families of Satabhaya cluster in Kendrapara district.

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Kendrapara: Agriculture is the mainstay of people in Kendrapara district as it lacks industries.

However, people have failed to meet the expenses of families with agriculture alone, which is why youths are migrating to other states in search of better sources of livelihood.

At a time when they are stressed to earn a living owing to migration woes amid pandemic, women members of self-help groups have become self-reliant by taking up fish farming in the district.

These women are now earning handsomely to meet the expenses of their families. As many as 4,000 members of 389 self-help groups have taken up fish cultivation and earning over Rs 5,000 each from the business.

They are cultivating all types of fresh water fish like Rohu, Catla and Mrigal carp which have high demand in the local and outside market.

Anjali Sethy, an SHG member of Pegarpada village under Rajkanika block said their primary business was to sell fish caught by their men from river and water bodies in the district.

However, they often face problems in meeting their expenses when they fail to get a good catch. This pushed them into distress as they pondered to find a way out of this situation.

Soon, things changed for the better when they formed Baba Jaleshwar women self-help group with 10 women as its members two years back. The fisheries department asked them to take up fish cultivation by taking two ponds in the locality on lease.

Each member took up the work with sincerity and the first year income encouraged them to further increase their cultivation. Soon other women in the locality joined their group following which they took up 12 ponds in the area on lease, she said.

Lakshmipriya Mallick, secretary of Siddha Mahavir SHG in Entalpur village under Garadpur block said that taking up fish farming has given them a new lease of life during spread of Covid pandemic. The fish cultivation has become helpful for the poor families. They are using the ponds in the village and have been able to earn more than Rs 5,000 each per month, she said.

Jayanti Rout of Basantpur village under Rajnagar block said that their men face ban from fishing in the sea for a period of seven months each year due to nesting of Olive Ridley turtles in Gahirmatha Island.

They have to live in hunger during this period. However, after being encouraged by the state fisheries department, the women SHGs have taken the ponds on lease and carrying out the cultivation.

This has helped them in feeding their family members and in meeting other expenses. Mamata Rani Samal, a member of Sri Sambhu women SHG of Vektakola village under Rajnagar block said they are cultivating all types of fish like Rohu, Mrigal carp and buffalo fish (catla) in the pond.

The fish traders are visiting them near the ponds and buying the fish and paying them instantly. This has helped them to earn a handsome amount for their labour, she said.

When contacted, Mamata Mohaptra, district fisheries officer said that various women SHGs have taken up cultivation in ponds spread over 160 hectares of land.

Each group is supplied with fingerlings at 60 per cent subsidy and a loan assistance of Rs 90,000 by the department. The scheme has been a success in Mahakalpara and Rajnagar blocks, she added.

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Rajnagar: As many as 33 villages of Kendrapara district including four of Rajnagar block have been included under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY).

The four villages of Rajnagar block included under the yojana are Rajnagar village of Rajnagar panchayat, Righagarhgaon of Ishwarpur panchayat, Bhagabanpur of Ostia panchayat and Tetelenga of Koilipur panchayat.

Once included, the villagers hoped they would have drinking water facility, illumination of village streets, drainage facility, good road communication facility and clean environment.

The pictures of their villages would change for better. But, things did not take shape as expected. Rajnagar village is a case in point. The village was included under the yojana four years ago.

Then Rs 40 lakh was provided for development of the village. The irony is that the money is still lying unutilized. According to sources in the block, in the first phase Bhagabanpur and Rajnagar villages have received Rs 20 lakh and Rs 9.50 lakh respectively.

Teteleng and Righagarhgaon villages will soon receive their money under this yojana.

Notably, the yojana was launched on a pilot basis in 2009-10. Its aim is to bring about a sea change in these villages with over 50 per cent of its population being Scheduled Castes.

PNN

Kendrapara: The Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary under Rajnagar block in this district spread over 672 sqkm is fast losing its cover due to various reasons and being pushed into the vicious circle of pollution, a report said.

If this trend continues, the sanctuary might lose its national park status. This will seriously hit the tourism industry in the district. The Bhitarkanika National Park is one of the wonders in the world known for its rich biological diversity.

The colourful birds, rare sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles and a variety of other wildlife animals inhabit this eco-system which is one of Asia’s most spectacular wildlife sanctuaries.

These are a real feast to the eyes of tourists and a subject of importance for the researchers. The large stretch of mangrove forests and medicinal plants attracts the nature lovers.

The Bhitarkanika is situated on the delta created by the Brahmani, Baitarani and Dhamra sea mouths. It is known for its natural environment, landscape, biological diversity and 62 types of mangrove forests and 215 types of wildlife.

UNESCO made an attempt to place Bhitarkanika in World Heritage Site in 2016. The UNESCO conducted a survey but Bhitarkanika missed the World Heritage Site tag as the mangrove eco-system was found wanting on several counts.

It was reported that much of the land within Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary is privately owned by local community of Bangaldesh refugees. Moreover, there are other areas where the tenure of the land is currently under dispute.

It was noted that human impacts from communities situated within Bhitarkanika are extremely high as land use in this area is predominantly agricultural including livestock grazing, shrimp cultivation and construction of houses within the sanctuary by destroying the mangrove forests.

The Central Groundwater Board conducted a groundwater study in 2011. It found excess presence of harmful chemicals like nitrate, iron and fluorides in the groundwater which is likely to destroy the bio-diversity of the sanctuary. The board advised the state government to recharge groundwater through construction of artificial dams in the rivers and other water bodies.

Later, a team of researchers comprising BC Behera from North Odisha University in Baripada, RR Mishra from MITS School of Biotechnology, HN Thatoi from College of Engineering and Technology in Bhubaneswar, SK Dutta from IIS in Bangalore, KK Patra of NITS in Rourkela conducted a survey of the Mahandi delta region and the  Bhitarkanika sanctuary in 2014. They submitted a report which has become a cause of concern for the residents and nature lovers.

The total dissolved solids (TDS) as well as harmful chemicals like chloride, phosphate and magnesium have increased in the water. This has happened because of lack of management of industrial and urban wastes.

The team examined the water of Hansua river at Jambu, the water in the mangrove forest in Kharinasi, the waste water of the prawn firms at Triveni and Nuagada as well as the discharged waste water of IFFCO and PPL fertilizers plant in the Mahanadi river.

Their report claimed that there is a presence of 4389 mg to 12,575 mg of chloride in the drinking water in the area which is higher than the permissible limits of 250 mg.

This apart, phosphate content in the water has increased a lot while nitrate is at a standard level and calcium content is increasing due to discharge of industrial wastes. They warned that an increase in the chemical contents will pose a serious threat to the existence of mangrove forests, saltwater crocodiles and birds in the sanctuary.

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