Calcutta, Nov. 6: Faced with resistance from the Opposition as well as sections of the ruling coalition and the CPM over allotment of land to the Salim Group, the government has started preparing land-use maps for all 18 districts.

The science and techno-logy department, under charge of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee himself, is preparing the maps with the help of remote sensing, satellite imaging and physical verification.

“We will prepare separate maps for each district. They will be made in a way that anybody can find the latest position of land use in any particular area and also its character. We have already started working and expect to complete the exercise in six months,’’ said Jawhar Sircar, the secretary of the science and technology department.

“The maps will help identify unused land. They will also help in spotting any particular plot or large chunks of land required to set up an industrial unit or township or to construct buildings, roads or canals. They will also specify which kind of industry can be set up where,” said Sircar.

Officials said this is the first time that district-wise land-use maps are being prepared in eastern India using remote sensing and satellite imaging.

As demand for land to set up industrial units and build townships or housing complexes is high in North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly ? all in the vicinity of Calcutta ? special emphasis is being laid on preparing the maps of these four districts.

The land-use map for Burdwan is also being considered important.

Scientists engaged in the exercise said the character of land and how it is used can be found out using remote sensing, besides locating water sources and ascertaining quality of water, groundwater reserves, soil pattern, character of soil, population density and road connectivity.

“We will conduct a physical verification on the basis of findings from the satellite images and then prepare the final map. In the final version, specific locations will be identified saying what kind of industry would suit them. Similarly, it can also be found out which plots are suitable for building townships without disturbing agricultural land,’’ Sircar said.

The map would be helpful in taking up development projects and setting up industrial units while keeping a watch on the environment.

About Rs 30 lakh will be spent on the map project, two-thirds of which has been provided by the Centre.

Officials at Writers’ Buildings said the chief minister sought the land-use map after his “bitter experience” over acquiring land for the Salim Group’s proposed industry hub in South 24-Parganas.

Bhattacharjee and the pro-industry sections of the CPM had to face criticism from the Opposition as well as from within their own front over acquiring land for Salim.

CPM leaders had to organise several rounds of meetings with grassroots workers to convince them about the need to hand over the land.

Sircar said: “There will not be any such problem or controversy on land allotment in the future if the government has a detailed land-use map in its hands.”