Wetland guidelines

Members of East Calcutta Wetlands Management Authority met chief secretary Ardhendu Sen on Tuesday and submitted guidelines allowing limited construction by the residents of the wetlands.

The chief secretary is the chairman of the authority.

Around 1.5 lakh people live in the 12,500-hectare East Calcutta Wetlands, where the high court has banned construction to prevent any change in the character of the land.

“The guidelines for limited construction in the wetland zone have been prepared by a panel headed by municipal commissioner Arnab Ray and comprising representatives of various government departments,” said Nitai Kundu, the member-secretary of the committee and chief technical officer of the authority.

The guidelines allow construction on up to 30 per cent of the land one possesses and restrict the height of a structure to 8 metres or two storeys. Those raising structures must make proper arrangements for drainage, sanitation and solid waste management.

The members also presented to Sen a draft guideline for eco-tourism for the wetlands.