The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal has directed the Bengal government to form a task force to implement recommendations of an “expert panel” to probe violations within the East Calcutta Wetlands.

The NGT has directed the government that the task force be headed by the chief secretary. It has also asked the state to convert the recommendations of the “expert panel”, which had been formed by the tribunal earlier, into directives.

Environment activist Subhas Datta, who had filed the petition before the NGT, said the tribunal directed that the task force would include the environment secretary and representatives of Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, Central Pollution Control Board, state pollution control board and the East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority.

“We will follow the tribunal’s directive,” said one of the lawyers representing the state government.

The task force has been asked to prepare an action plan based on the panel’s recommendations.

The expert committee included senior scientists from the Union and state governments and district magistrates of South and North 24-Parganas.

The panel had said in its report that “substantial portion of water bodies/agricultural land” got converted into residential land because of construction activities in the last 15 years. It had recommended the formation of a task force to inquire into the violations and act against them.

“The bench observed that the city cannot afford to lose the east Calcutta wetlands for its immense role in drainage and political will was required to save the wetlands, ” Datta said.