HC seeks Centre’s role to tackle illegal construction on Kolkata Wetlands

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday criticised the state authorities for failing to remove 505 unauthorised constructions on the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) and directed that the Central government be brought into the proceedings, observing that the state lacked the infrastructure to tackle the situation.

Hearing the matter, Justice Amrita Sinha flagged the inability of the East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA) to act decisively despite detecting illegal constructions. The court was informed that the authority faced difficulties in handling mass agitation while attempting to disconnect electricity supply to such structures.

“First of all, you were not in a position to prevent these unauthorised constructions from coming up. Now when it is to be brought down, you are unable to do it. You do not have the infrastructure.

The court has to take help from someone else who can do it,” Justice Sinha is learnt to have observed, adding that the court was contemplating deploying paramilitary forces.

Expressing dissatisfaction over repeated status reports without visible results on the ground, the judge said the court did not want further reports and expected concrete action instead.

“There are reports piling up over here but I don’t see any work being done on the ground level,” she remarked.

The petitioners were directed to implead the central government and the ministries of environment, housing and urban development, and home. The court also noted that a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had sought responses on how unauthorised constructions on the wetlands were being addressed.

EKWMA’s counsel submitted that public notices had been issued in newspapers to raise awareness that no construction was permissible in the wetland area. It was further stated that illegal structures and boundary walls were being dismantled where identified. However, a proposed joint inspection with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation could not proceed as no representative from the civic body was present.

Counsel also informed the court that in some cases, demolition notices had been challenged and were pending before the High Court.