Feathers vs tractors: Illegal farming menaces migratory birds’ haven

Notwithstanding a Supreme Court ban imposed in February 2000 on all non-forestry activities inside wildlife sanctuaries, illegal cultivation continues unabated on the Pong Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary land in the lower Kangra region. Even as thousands of exotic and domestic migratory birds arrive with the onset of winter, the state Forest Department’s repeated attempts to curb the violations have yielded little success. Issuing challans has failed to deter offenders, who continue to plough protected land with impunity.

Influential cultivators have reportedly begun ploughing vacant stretches of sanctuary land with tractors in Gharjarot, Jarot, Ludret, Bajera, Balohad and Nandpur areas under the Nagrota Surian wildlife range. Their activities threaten the fragile biodiversity of the region and disturb the silence essential for the survival of migratory birds.

In a recent incident at Ludret, local resident Indira Devi confronted a tractor operator ploughing sanctuary land. She even hurled stones at the vehicle in protest. A video of her argument with the offender has gone viral on social media. She alleged that while offenders were illegally cultivating the land, they were not allowing villagers to graze livestock in the sanctuary area.

Local environmentalists — Milkhi Ram Sharma, Kulwant Singh and Ujagar Singh — who have been opposing illegal farming in the area for over a decade, allege that political influence allows offenders to continue cultivating protected land without fear of consequences. Pong Wetland was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1999 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to safeguard the habitat of more than one lakh migratory birds that visit the area every winter. Any human activity, including cultivation, is considered harmful to these species.

The issue is not new. The Tribune had reported the ongoing illegal cultivation on September 4, 2024, in a story titled “Villagers to continue protest against farming on Pong Wetland in Kangra.” The High Court later treated the report as a Civil Writ Public Interest Litigation (CWPIL 46/24) and appointed Deven Khanna as Legal Aid Counsel on December 12, 2024. Khanna conducted a three-day inspection of the affected areas and submitted his findings to the court on December 30.

A parallel case (petition number 648/24) filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by environmentalist MR Sharma in May 2024 also challenges the illegal cultivation and the impact on migratory birds. State authorities have already filed their replies in the matter.

Environmental experts warn that continued illegal cultivation has severely damaged the wetland’s fauna, reduced the number of migratory birds arriving at Pong and contributed to siltation in the Pong Dam reservoir.

Meanwhile, Wildlife Wing officials of the Forest Department said they have issued 15 challans within a fortnight and warned that FIRs will be registered if offenders do not stop ploughing and cultivation. The department claims its field staff is keeping a close watch on illegal activities in the area.