The Supreme Court's directive on saving the coastal zone in West Bengal is being followed religiously by the state pollution control board. Prawn farms will no longer function unless they follow environmental guidelines designed to save the Sunderbans ecosystem.

The farms, until now functioning without any clearance, have been asked to apply for environmental clearance from the state pollution control board and the state fisheries department before July 10. Further, water treatment plants have to be installed by the state industries to avoid polluted water from being discharged into canals and rivers in the region.