KOLKATA: KMC’s environment department on Monday stepped in to stop land sharks from filling up a pond in the Mukundapur locality. Civic officials who rushed to the spot after getting an anonymous tip-off lodged an FIR with Purba Jadavpur police and also put up a notice, warning stern action if any further attempt was made to fill up the water body.
The KMC environment department inspection team that reached the spot found the 5-bigha pond had been first walled up using corrugated sheets. Inside, water was pumped out during the night and trucks rolled in during the day, carrying debris that was then dumped into the water body.
“The pond was part of a larger water body. A portion of it was sold to a developer, who then cordoned it off before it began to be filled up. This was happening in daylight. We received an alert and found a portion of the pond had already been filled up,” said a civic official.
TOI had only last month reported a similar filling up activity behind late actor Soumitra Chatterjee house in Golf Green. Green activists said encroachment at the East Kolkata Wetlands had also intensified after the pandemic.
Dilip Sinha, a resident of a housing complex located close to the pond, expressed shock over the desperate attempt to grab the wetland. “When the site was barricaded, I smelt a rat. But we couldn’t make out what was going on in the darkness of night. Now it is obvious that in absence of a vigil, the land sharks will become active and will go the extra mile to accomplish their task,” Sinha said.
Another resident of Netai Nagar, an area located near the site, said local residents knew about the pond filling but couldn’t muster the courage to protest against a powerful land mafia. “Now that the civic body has initiated action, hope that the pond will be saved,” the resident said, requesting anonymity.
