VADODARA: They have made this huge pond near the Statue of Unity (SoU) in Narmada district their home since years. But hundreds of crocodiles now risk losing their habitat to make way for a seaplane service planned by the Gujarat government. The forest department, in fact, has already begun removing crocodiles from the pond. Interestingly, though it is estimated that the pond is home to nearly 500 crocodiles, the forest officials said that they don’t any idea about the exact numbers.The seaplane project was initiated by the state government after being reportedly told by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explore the possibilities of seaplane and boating facilities in the Narmada dam near SoU. "We don’t have any estimate of the number of crocodiles living in this Type C pond . We are currently conducting survey to ascertain the exact numbers," said K Shashi Kumar, deputy conservator of forests, Narmada. Kumar said that nine crocodiles have already been removed from the pond and they are currently in the custody of forest department.When asked where will the reptiles be released, Kumar said that they are still mulling over it. "We don’t know how much time will it take to make the pond free of crocodiles till we get the exact numbers," Kumar told TOI. Interestingly, Kumar said that he has no idea about the seaplane project. "We just have been told to make the pond crocodile free," he said.The state government has zeroed in on Pond 3, officially named Panchmuli Lake but locally known as Magar Talav due to its crocodile population, for its seaplane project. Tourists will be able to avail of seaplane facility from Ahmedabad and three other places to reach the SoU. SSNL had suggested this pond to the government that was looking for an ideal site to land the seaplane last year.Dr Jitendra Gavali, director, Community Science Centre (CSC), Vadodara said that the government’s decision to remove crocodiles from their natural habitat is against the principles of Wildlife Protection Act. "Crocodiles are listed under schedule I and hence they have to be protected. Instead, the government is disturbing their habitat and putting their lives at risk. Why can’t the government make another artificial for seaplanes instead of shifting hundreds of crocodiles out of their habitat?", Gavali questioned.He added that the entire project is being executed without any proper study. "Considering the number of reptiles in this pond, how will the government be sure that the entire water-body is free of reptiles? Also, the government hasn’t thought out where it will release the captured crocodiles safely," Gavali said.