American consul general Mr Henry V Jardine today met the state environment minister, Mr Mohanta Chatterjee, and promised mutual co-operation in wild-life management and wetland management. He said anti-poaching measures were being taken in Bauxa of north Bengal.

Environment ministry launches website and environment information centre

Govt. of West Bengal, has set up an Environmental Information System (ENVIS) Centre, first of its kind in the State at the Regional Office of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board at Industry House, Camac Street. A new Web Portal ( www.enviswb.gov.in)has also been launched by the environment department of the state. The minister for environment , Mr.Mahanta Chatterjee said, all information related to environment will be available through this web portal. Common people, Industrial Houses, Educational Institutions, NGOs, Researchers will be benefited through this portal.

The ENVIS Centre is a joint venture of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Govt. of India and the Department of Environment Govt. of West Bengal. This project was started in the year 2003. A total expenditure of Rs. 25 lakhs had already been incurred in this connection till date. Out of it State Government has allotted Rs. 4 lakhs in 2004-05 and Rs.10 lakhs in 2005-06. This year (2006-07) the State allocation is Rs. 15 lakhs. The ENVIS Centres across the country will be linked up on available data related to environment. It will also establish linkage with information users, carriers and providers.

The Web Portal is a dynamic content management software. It will have dedicated pages for the WBBB (West Bengal Biodiversity Board), IESWM (Institute of Environmental Studies and Wetland Management), EKWMA (East Kolkata Wetland Management Authority). It will also have links with the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India, ENVIS Centres and so on. A dedicated team will regularly update the data in the Web Portal. The department will also closely supervise this operation.

The department of Environment, Govt. of West Bengal have a future plan to create a digitised library and a data bank. They have funded a number of important research projects relating to environment. The findings of such research projects will be preserved for future in digitalised form. The stakeholders (Universities, Research Institutes and others) may access such data through internet. Extract of such data may also be uploaded in the website for the worldwide end user.