06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Chilika Lake
Table8:ListofNGOsand POsworkinginand
around Chilika lagoon.
t. Anchalika Kunjeswari Sanskrutika Sangathan, AtlPO
Kanas, Dist. Puri 752017.
2. Gopinath Yubak Sangha, Shajanpur, PO. Chaparnik,
Via. Brahmagiri, Dist. Puri 75201 t.
3. Centre for Action, Research and Documentation, RIG
N7 Barmunda Housing Board, Bhubaneswar.
4. Council of Professional Social Workers, Vivekaoanda
marg, Bhubaneswar 75t 002. .
5. Centre lor Youth and Social Development, AtlPO.
Sahid Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751007.
6. Vikash Vahini, College Chowk, PO. Bentapur, Via.
Brhmagiri, Dist Puri 752 01t.
7. Anchalika Mahi Bikash Kendra (Regional Resource
Centre lor Women), At. Gopinathpur, Basedi Sahi
Parikhasha Lane, Purl.
8. Pallishree, 137- Dharmavihar, PO. Kbandagiri,
Bhubaneswar.
9. Sabarmati Samiti, AtlPO Ganjam, Rambha, Dist.
Ganjam, 761028.
10. United Artists Association, AtlPO Ganjam, Ganjam
761026.
It. Wetland International-South Asia, A-127, Second
Floor, Defence Colony, New-Delhi 110 024.
12. Bihanga Institute of Ornithology and Mass Eco-
Development (BlOME), GA-38, Niladri Vlhar, Sector II,
PO. Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751 02t.
v. Local communities and other institutions
Chilika lagoon, over the years, has achieved the
dubious distinction of being the largest illegal
aquaculture complex in the world. A vast portion
of the lake close to the shore which is the breeding
ground of shrimp, crabs and fish has been
converted into prawn farms and this has affected
the survival of the local fishing community who
have started starving. The Matsyajibi
Malwsanglla, an organization of the fishing
community of Chilika along with 'Krantidarsi
Yuba Sangam', an NGO, had initiated a movement
under the banner 'Chilika Bancllao Andolana' for
the protection of the rights of the fishing
community over Chilika lake that led to
withdrawal of the Chilika Aquatic Farms Limited,
a Tata concern in 1992 (Chilika Banchao
Andolana, 1992).
. In May 1999, a local fishermen's association
'Chilika Matsyajibi Malwsangha' protested the
Government of inaction against prawn gheries and
their owners. They demolished a few gheries and
as the leaders were arrested, the protest turned
violent and three fishermen lost their lives. These
local groups are still very active and periOdically
222
demonstrate their anger against Government
policies that harm the fish bio-resources and
traditional forms of fishing, (Times of India, New
Delhi, 23/12/2001, The New Indian Express,
Bhubanesar, 28/12/2001 and The Samaj, Oriya
daily, Cuttack, 28/12/2001). Likewise other local
organisations such as the 'Orissa Matsyajibi
Union', and the 'Council of Professional Social
Workers' (CPSW) are against some contentious
clauses in the Orissa Fishing Chilika Regulation
Bill, 2001, that proposes empowering the state
government to sublease 14,000 ha out of 47,000 ha
fishing area in the lagoon to non-traditional
fisherfolk because of the apprehension that this
would lend fillip to the prawn 'mafia' (Down to
Earth, New Delhi, January 31, 2002, pages 20-
21).
VIII. Future Prospects
The foregone information points to the rich
bioresource profile and heritage of Chilika lago~n.
It is to be underlined that that the physico _
biological interactions resulted in the unique
Chilika lagoon ecosystem that include also the
common man, who lives and depends on the
bioresources of Chilika that determines the socioeconomics
of the region. It is the economic over
exploitation of the bioresources, the fish and
fishery, that endangers the fragile ecosystem of
Chilika. Figure 6 depicts the participation of the
common man in exploitation of the bioresources of
Chilika. As a consequence of economic
liberalisation initiated in 1990s that boosted
export and modemised techniques. there has been
changes in the policies relating to "capture and
CHILIKA
Figure 6 : (}yer explollatlon of (be lJloresou.res of Ch1l1ka
and the common man.