Feb. 20: The Assembly today passed a bill that seeks to make the environment minister head of a body governing the East Calcutta Wetlands, replacing the chief secretary.

The passage of the East Kolkata Wetlands (Conservation and Management) (Amendment) Act, 2017, has raised concerns among the green lobby as environment minister Sovan Chatterjee has rued the Ramsar tag for the wetlands, which prevents any change in the character of the land in the region.

The 2006 act which the current legislation amends acknowledges the wetlands' role "as regulator of water regime, source for underground water recharging, mechanism for waste water treatment, air quality purifier and store of water for fire-fighting and have great ecological significance for human life".

The East Calcutta Wetlands Management Authority, which the 2006 act says has to be headed by the chief secretary, is the governing body of the 12,500-hectare East Calcutta Wetlands.

The Ramsar convention has recognised the wetlands for their unique role.

Minister Chatterjee, also the city mayor, said the Ramsar tag had prevented the civic body from using the land available there for creating a garbage dumping site.

"Our existing waste disposal site (at Dhapa) is exhausted. We have between 350 and 400 acres in the Ramsar-designated zone. But we can't use it because of the tag," he said.

"My objective is not to fill up the water bodies or allow construction there. But to build a waste disposal site, we may have to do some minimal construction.... There are many people who have built their small homes there but they cannot do mutation of their properties since nothing can be done there."

Biswajit Mukherjee, former chief law officer of the state pollution control board, said: "The Supreme Court has made it clear that political executives should not head environmental boards or authorities. A minister becoming the chairman of the East Calcutta Wetlands Authority is a violation of the apex cour's order in spirit."

Naba Dutta, the secretary of green platform Sabuj Mancha, said: "If someone is aggrieved with the authority's directive, he or she will have no place to appeal as the environment minister himself heads the body."