Puri: The district administration has launched a drive to free Chilika lake from illegal prawn enclosures, with a joint team demolishing unauthorised structures spread over around 600 acres in the outer Chilika area under Krushnaprasad tehsil, officials said.
The operation was carried out under the Krushnaprasad revenue circle as part of the administration’s roadmap to dismantle illegal gheris allegedly erected by encroachers for prawn cultivation and other commercial activities.
The enclosures, made using bamboo poles, nets and other materials to cordon off water bodies, were dismantled during the drive. The seized bamboo and nets were subsequently destroyed at the spot.
Police personnel were deployed in strength during the operation to prevent any untoward incident and maintain law and order.
The administration said the ‘Gheri-Mukta Chilika’ campaign will continue in the coming days, with further action planned to remove illegal enclosures and restore the lake’s water bodies.
