KOLKATA: The state Environment department has come up with a new Coastal Zonal Management Plan for the sea side destinations of Digha and Shankarpur in East Midnapore and Sagar Islands in Sunderbans. The re-beautification of Digha and improvement of necessary infrastructure as directed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will take place based on the plan.
Banerjee visited Digha on May 29 after the state's favourite sea destination suffered damages due to the dual effect of the very severe cyclone Yaas and spring tide that led to phenomenal rise in the sea's water-level and caused massive inundation.
"The coastline alignment had changed following super cyclone Amphan, that hit the state on May 20 last year. The sea penetrated around 300 metre inland after Amphan. So we have envisaged the Coastal Management Zonal Plan," a senior official of the Environment department said.
The department has formed an expert committee under the leadership of West Bengal Pollution Control Board Chairman Kalyan Rudra for suggesting a vegetative solution for protection of coastal embankment and hence the coastal belt.
"The basic plan is to use the various gifts of nature to protect the embankments and for this we have to come up with a plan of what types of trees can be planted at a particular place so that there is less damage to the coastal belt in future catastrophes of nature," Vivek Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary of state Environment department said addressing a programme on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5). Member Board of Administrators, Kolkata Municipal Corporation Swapan Samaddar who is in-charge of the Environment department has appealed to the citizens of Kolkata to plant at least one tree each and take responsibility for its growth.