An audacious attempt by the land mafia operating along the eastern fringes of the city to grab two sprawling bheris was thwarted by resistance from local fishermen and prompt police action on Sunday morning. This is the second time in three weeks that the capture bid off Basanti Highway was foiled. The bheris or fish farms have been under constant threat of land sharks for the past several years as they attempt to drive out the cooperatives that manage the bheris to concert them into real estate. “Nearly two dozen men came with wooden poles to drive them into the ground and claim ownership of the 200-bigha bheri. They said the bheris had been sold to them and that they would not allow fish farming to continue. We stood our ground. Later, police came and uprooted the poles that they had planted,” said cooperative member Ratan Mondal. He has been in the forefront of the resistance and says they will oppose the attempt to destroy their livelihood tooth and nail. Police had acted similarly just over a fortnight ago when men had assembled one morning and begun driving poles into the ground to stake claim on the bheris. The cooperative members have filed a complaint at East Kolkata Wetland Management Authority (EKWMA) that oversees the wetlands spread over 12,500 hectares. “The mafia has managed to lure a section of cooperative members with money. They offered each member up to Rs 1 lakh in cash if they walk away, plus another Rs 5 lakh to follow and even the promise of a job. But if the workers refuse to relent, they have been told bluntly that goons will forcibly take over the waterbodies and adjoining lands and they will get nothing,” said Niranjan Mondal. The workers are not giving in, though. The Dakshin Gorumara No. 1 cooperative manages two bheris, totaling 110 bigha, and three stocking ponds. The other cooperative manages a bheri of 60 bigha and two stocking ponds. These and the adjoining land under the two cooperatives make up nearly 220 bigha of contiguous land that has been in the eye of land sharks for a while now. While the bigger Dakshin Gorumara No. 1 has 44 cooperative members, Dakshin Gorumara No. 2 has 19. ‘ In addition, the fish-farms provide livelihood to temporary workers. Together, the two cooperatives produce around 275-300kg fish daily. The bheris were originally owned by Ganesh Biswas and his family, and many fish-farm workers’ families have worked there for generations. The cooperatives were set up 30 years ago, but it all happened by word of mouth with little documentation. Now, the current elders of the Biswas family – Sashadhar Mondal and Deshbhandu Mondal – want to sell out and exit the business citing age and disinterest in the business among youngsters in the family.
2016, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.