East Kolkata Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Act, 2006

No: 7 Dated: Mar, 31 2006

THE EAST KOLKATA WETLANDS (CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT) ACT, 2006

West Bengal Act VII of 2006

An Act to provide for conservation and management of the East Kolkata wetlands for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

Whereas the wetlands act as regulator of water regime, source for underground watter recharging, mechanism for waste water treatment, air quality purifier and store of water for fire-fighting and have great ecological significance for human life;

And Whereas there is an increasing pressure on land for human settlement leading to filling up of the wetlands;

And whereas the East Kolkata wetlands are ecologically and socioeconomically very important;

And whereas it is expedient to provide for conservation and management of the East Kolkata wetlands and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto;

It is hereby enacted in the Fifty-seventh Year of the Republic of India, by the Legislature of West Bengal, as follows :

1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the East Kolkata Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Act, 2006.

(2) It shall be deemed to have come Into force on the 16th day of November, 2005.

2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

(a) "Authority" means the East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority constituted under section 3;

(b) "Chairperson" means the Chairperson of the Authority;

(c) "East Kolkata wetlands" means such of the areas included in the list of Ramsar Sites as are specified in Schedule I and shown in the map in Schedule II.

Explanation I.—For the purposes of this Act, "Ramsar Sites" means the wetlands of international importance under Ramsar Convention.

Explanation II.—For the purposes of this Act, "Ramsar Convention" means the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Ramsar, Iran;

(d) "land" includes any wetland;

(e) "Land and Land Reforms Department" means the Land and Land Reforms Department of the Government of West Bengal;

(f) "local body" means a Panchayat within the meaning of clause (1) of Article 2438, or a Municipality within the meaning of clause (1) of Article 243Q, of the Constitution or, in the absence of a Panchayat or Municipality, an institution of self-Government constituted or established under any other provision of the Constitution or by or under any Central Act or State Act;

(g) "Member-Secretary" means the Member-Secretary of the Authority;

(h) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;

(i) 'prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(j) "State Government" means the Government of West Bengal in the Department of Environment;

(k) "water body" includes any land holding water.