Andhra Pradesh Assembly today unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the National Board of Wildlife and the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee, to recommend reduction of the boundary of Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary to mitigate the problems of local farmers.
The state government, on its part, said it would constitute an experts' committee as well as a technical panel to list out steps for protecting environment in the Kolleru area and safeguard the interests of the local farmers who lost their livelihood.
Moving the resolution in the Assembly, Minister for Environment and Forests Bojjala Gopala Krishna Reddy said 30,855 hectares in Kolleru lake - one of the largest brackish water lakes in the country - has been declared as a wildlife sanctuary in October 1999.
"The local farmers are not able to get adequate income from traditional agriculture without applying chemical fertilisers. So far compensation for acquiring these lands to the owners has not been paid. The compensation proposed to be paid for acquiring these lands will cause heavy financial burden on the state exchequer," the minister added.
Hence, the boundary of the wildlife sanctuary should be reduced from +5 to +3 contour to mitigate the problems of the farmers, he said.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recalled that the then YS Rajasekhara Reddy government had in 2006 "highhandedly" destroyed (aquaculture) tanks in Kolleru using bombs and poclains in thousands of acres and deprived the local communities of their livelihood.
No compensation was paid to them, he said.
Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy then said it was done on the orders of the Supreme Court.
