The West Bengal forest department has launched a formal process to restore over 1,600 hectares of mangrove forestland in the Sundarbans that was allegedly encroached upon and converted into brackish-water aquaculture farms during the tenure of the previous All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government led by Mamata Banerjee. The restoration drive, initiated in late July 2025, follows a directive from Forest Minister Manoj Kumar Oraon to identify illegal fisheries, demolish encroachments, and replant mangrove saplings.

Scale of Encroachment Identified

A state forest department official involved in the process confirmed that the identification phase has been completed. According to the official, the 1,600 hectares of erstwhile forestland were systematically encroached upon — first through the construction of dams to block tidal water flow, which dried out the soil and destroyed the mangroves, and later by subdividing the land into small plots for fish-farming ponds.

'It was impossible to complete this process overnight, and hence a syndicated and well-coordinated approach involving fishing farm owners, local politicians and a section of the administration was evident,' the official said. Satellite imagery reportedly corroborates this timeline: mapping shows that before 2016, a particular island in the area was covered with thick mangrove forest, whereas the same island is now divided into plots occupied by illegal aquaculture operations.

Demolition and Replanting Under Way

With the identification phase concluded, the department has moved to the next stage: demolition of illegal farms and dams. Once that process is complete, planting of mangrove saplings across the 1,600 hectares is set to begin. The scale of the operation makes it one of the largest mangrove restoration efforts attempted in the Sundarbans in recent years.

Simultaneously, the district police administration has initiated a separate investigation to dismantle the alleged nexus between aquaculture farm owners, local politicians, and officials within the administration. Forest Minister Oraon has reportedly instructed authorities to take 'strong action against each person involved in the nexus as per legal provisions.'

Why Sundarbans Mangroves Matter

Environmentalists have welcomed the move, underscoring that the Sundarbans mangroves serve as a critical natural buffer for the entire coastal zone against cyclones and super-cyclones. The Sundarbans — a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning the Bengal delta — is home to the world's largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem and provides livelihood and climate protection to millions of people in coastal West Bengal and Bangladesh. Experts argue that restoring degraded patches is not merely an environmental imperative but a disaster-risk-reduction priority.

Political Context

The crackdown comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari assumed office, which has since pursued action against what it characterises as illegal constructions and encroachments that accumulated under the previous administration. The forest department official noted that the organised nature of the encroachment — evident from satellite data and the scale of dam construction — points to what authorities describe as a clear nexus between private interests and political patronage.

With demolitions now under way and a police probe running in parallel, the coming weeks will determine how swiftly the Sundarbans restoration can move from identification to ground-level replanting.