The poachers are in the line of fire. Reeling under the rampant poaching by fish mafia at India’s renowned Harike wetland, the Punjab Wildlife Department is up in arms to save the wetland from illegal activities.

“Strict instructions to check encroachments and poaching have been issued to the subordinates there, including the district forest officers (DFOs), inspectors and so on. We will act sternly against anyone found guilty of carrying out illegal activities around the sanctuary,” Punjab Chief Wildlife Warden Gurbaz Singh informed The Pioneer.

The Wildlife Department had recently recovered a big trolley near the area of sanctuary that costs around `3 lakh. “A big trolley, used behind tractors, was recovered by the

department officials yesterday. Earlier, five boats have been captured, with four small and one big one. Besides, nearly 30 nets have also been recovered from the area,” added Singh.

To save the wetland from getting spoiled, the Department officials have swung into action against the encroachers and are taking strict action against those found guilty. “Though the exact number is not available as such, the persons found involved in such activities have been put to task,” said Singh.

Well-known as Harike Lake Pattan Sanctuary, the rich in aquatic flora and fauna Harike wetland ecosystem has an area of 285.1 sq km spreading into four districts— Amritsar, Firozpur, Kapurthala and Jalandhar. Also acclaimed as India’s largest bird sanctuary, it is considered as the “bird watchers’ paradise” for its highly inviting terrains that attract hundreds of bird species, both migratory and residential.

“The DFO is in constant touch with the deputy commissioner to check such instances. They are working in coordination with each other to act against the culpable,” said Singh, admitting that the Harike wetland was facing serious threat from unchecked and continuous encroachments, poaching and destruction of flora and fauna that have also become major sources of threat to its very existence.

The Wildlife Department is making efforts to hand over the Harike to the eco-task force to save the wetland from illegal, unbridled and incessant encroachments that are deflowering the flora and fauna of the domain. Finding difficult to tackle with the encroachers and poachers destroying the exquisiteness of the wetland, the authorities concerned have decided to put in writing a comprehensive plan to entrust the Harike wetland bird sanctuary to the eco-task force of the Army.

Apprehending the sanctuary being under the siege of mafia, Singh said, “We are facing a lot of pressure by the fish contractors. Many a time, they have threatened our officials too. But now, things have improved a bit and we are taking action against the encroachers and poachers.”

“The fish mafia is very rampant in that area. Though fishing is not allowed in the region, many indulge in such activities,” said a senior official of the Wildlife Department. Such instances are nothing new as far Harike is concerned, but this time the action seemed to be sterner. Last year too, a large amount of nets and boats were seized from the area, following which the department officials carried out raids.