HC directs officials to rid Pong wetland area of encroachments

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Kangra and the Wildlife Conservator to take effective steps to remove all fencing on the encroached area of the Pong Wetland Sanctuary in the lower Kangra region and ensure that no crops were grown on this land as the use of insecticides and pesticides could prove fatal for wildlife.

The court asserted that no person had any authority to use this wetland, which didn’t belong to them and they had encroached upon it. It issued directions that no civil court shall grant injunction against the said persons and directed the wildlife wing of the state Forest Department to capture pictures by using drone cameras to show the extent of cultivation on the wetland.

The High Court has fixed April 8 as the next date of hearing on the petition filed for the issuance of directions to government officials (respondents) to take corrective steps against encroachers, poachers and exploiters of the Pong Wetland and the Pong Wildlife Sanctuary. Recently, people residing alongside the Pong Wetland had spotted several dead migratory birds under the Nagrota Surian wildlife range suspected to have been killed by unidentified poachers.

Besides, three domestic cows at two locations in the region suffered severe jaw injuries after swallowing wheat dough laced with explosive while grazing in pastures and later died. The killing of migratory birds and cows sparked a lot of resentment among local residents, animal lovers and environmentalists. Local environmentalist MR Sharma had filed a petition in the High Court along with photographs of injured cows and dead birds and sought strict direction to the state government authorities to check the menace. The Tribune had highlighted the issue of illegal cultivation in the wetland sanctuary area and the poaching of migratory birds multiple times but the authorities concerned failed to check the illegal practice.