New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice to Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, over allegations of non-compliance with earlier directives aimed at dismantling illegal fish tanks in the Kolleru Lake wetlands and bird sanctuary.
A three-judge bench, consisting of Justices B.R. Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and K.V. Viswanathan, initiated the contempt proceedings, asserting that the state had failed to adhere to a 2006 Supreme Court order calling for the restoration of the Kolleru sanctuary.
In its April 10, 2006 verdict in TN Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India, the apex court mandated the implementation of the Central Empowered Committee’s (CEC) recommendations, which required the removal of all aquaculture tanks within the sanctuary, along with any tanks exceeding 100 acres, by May 31, 2006, to rehabilitate the ecosystem.
The Court has now directed the Chief Secretary to provide an explanation as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated for disregarding these orders.
The petitioner, represented by Advocate Akshay Mann, contended that the illegal fish tanks have persisted unabated, with aquaculture inputs and operations continuing unchecked within the Kolleru region. The plea cites data obtained under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI), from the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department’s Wildlife Management Division, revealing that 6,908.48 hectares of the sanctuary remain occupied by unauthorized aquaculture activities.
The petitioner urged the Court to direct the Chief Secretary to strictly enforce the 2006 directives and facilitate the removal of all illegal fish tanks and encroachments from the sanctuary, ensuring compliance with environmental restoration efforts.