KOLKATA: Two decades after East Kolkata Wetlands was declared a Ramsar site, the East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA) has finally started demarcating the wetlands to remove jurisdictional ambiguity, especially in peripheral areas where encroachment is rampant.
An EKWMA official said 100 pillars had been installed in Nayabad and Kantipota mouzas under South 24 Parganas. A sum of Rs 10 lakh each had been initially disbursed to the DMs of the two Parganas across which the 12,500- hectare EKW is situated.
“It has taken more than three decades to get the ball rolling. We are glad it is finally happening,” said Bonani Kakkar of PUBLIC, whose PIL before the Calcutta High Court led to a landmark judgment recognising the wetland’s importance and calling for its protection. She recounted that 30 years ago a government official had told the court that the demarcation of EKW would be completed within two months.
“The pillars should be prominently painted and marked so that there is no longer any ambiguity on whether a land is within EKWMA or outside. But this is just the beginning. The integrated management plan has to be implemented, an interpretation centre set up and maps with information boards on the Ramsar site installed along the periphery. Police must also carry out patrolling,” she said.
EKWMA officials said the demarcation work has commenced on 5%-6% land owned by government agencies.
