Rupsa: In order to prevent the extinction of horseshoe crabs which is an endangered species, a cleaning drive was launched Monday at the Bagada beach under Bahabalpur Marine police station of Sadar block in Balasore district.
Members of Balasore Association for Biodiversity Conservation, Mamata Jangal Suraksha Committee (Bagada), Amar Jawan Yuva Monday went on the cleansing drive instead of playing Holi. They cleared the beach from various forms of litter like plastic packets and bags, bottles, fishing nets, polythene and other garbage items. That apart they convened an awareness drive meeting involving local residents informing them about how the endangered species can be saved.
Painter Keshu Das who chaired the meeting urged the people to keep the beach clean and asked everyone to work in a united manner so that the beach gets the status of a tourist spot.
The members informed that out of four varieties of horseshoe crabs found globally, two of them are seen along the north east coast of Balasore and Kendrapara.
Due to unregulated fishing activities, unmindful littering on beaches and fishermen unaware of the importance of horseshoe crabs, these species are under the threat of extinction.
PNN