Migratory birds from the Kulick bird sanctuary
on the outskirts of Raiganj are moving to residential areas
causing concern among the people. Littering the area with
droppings is fast becoming a problem, and the locals allege
that no efforts are being taken by the Raiganj Municipality
or the forest department to disinfect the area.
Around 75,000 migratory birds of different varieties like
cormorant, open billstork, herons and egrets arrived at the
Kulick bird sanctuary this year around which about 20,000
have moved out of the sanctuary to municipal areas like Milapara,
Mohanbati, Tulsipara, Tulsitola, Sudarsonpur, Shaktinagar,
Ashokpally and Rabindrapally. People suspect that food scarcity
in the sanctuary may have forced the birds out to nearby localities.
A resident of Milanpara Mr Biplab Baral said, “The birds
from the sanctuary are building nest on the trees of residential
compunds for the past three years. Yet neither the Raiganj
Municipality authorities nor the forest department does anything
to disinfect the area. We fear it could give rise to diseases.”
The Raiganj Municipality chairman Mr Mohit Sengupta said that
the civic body was supplying bleaching powder and phenol for
disinfection. “The forest department should identify
the reason behind the birds moving out of the sanctuary into
residential areas and take measures to solve the problem,”
he added.
On being questioned, the divisional forest officer of Raiganj
social forestry Mr Ashis Sen admitted that the birds were
moving out and littering localities. “If any major pollution
is reported, our workers would disinfect the area but no one
has informed us about such a situation,” he said adding
that the forest department was yet to identify the reason
why the birds were moving out of the sanctuary.
Courtesy: The Statesman |
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