Kolkata Municipal Corporation compiles list of water bodies for conservation work

Kolkata: Warning that filling up of water bodies is a crime against humanity, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim on Wednesday said that the civic body has already compiled a list of big water bodies in the Cossipore area and will soon start its conservation work.

In the wake of illegal constructions being erected on water bodies and construction materials being dumped into them, the Mayor said that conservation of water bodies is now on top of KMC’s agenda. “Trees and water bodies help purify the air and without it we will have dearth of oxygen. This city will become inhabitable if water bodies are destroyed. We have to think for our future generations. Those filling up ponds are doing harm to human beings. This is a crime against humanity,” he said.

The Mayor shared that the KMC has already compiled a list of ponds which will be taken up for conservation work. He said that conservation, which includes beautification work, will be taken up for several of the big water bodies in the Cossipore area in North Kolkata.

Hakim said that for saving water bodies people cannot just depend on KMC. “It is not just our responsibility but citizens too have to come forward to save them. Local clubs need to take initiatives for beautification of the ponds in their areas,” he said. The Mayor further added that even private players need to come forward and utilize their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for beautification work.

Meanwhile, for illegal constructions, the KMC has started uploading the sanctioned plans on its website so the public can access it. One can verify whether a construction is legal by checking on the KMC website if the building plan for that construction received sanction from the civic body.