• Jan 25 2016
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Jambudwip

Jambudwip is a 20-sq km island in the district of South 24-Parganas, in the Indian State of West Bengal, in the Sunderbans delta. Since at least 1955, Jambudwip has been used as a base for fishery operations and as a fish drying site, mostly by small-scale, artisanal fishworkers. Behundi jal or stake-net fishery is the traditional activity practised in different parts of the Sunderbans delta. The largest stake-net fishing operation in the Sunderbans is based in Jambudwip. However, this traditional source of livelihood and sustenance is now under serious threat. It is being alleged that the seasonal "occupation" of the Jambudwip island by fishermen and the fish-drying activity is a non-forest activity that cannot be permitted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, without prior approval of the central government. The West Bengal government has been asked to remove all traces of "encroachment" on Jambudwip island. While the Fisheries Department of West Bengal has strongly defended the fishermen's claim to the seasonal use of the island for their fishery, the State's Forest Department is bitterly opposed.