Illegal filling up of waterbodies: KMC to file FIR against OC of the area

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will now lodge FIR against the concerned officer in charge of a police station in case of illegal filling of waterbodies, Chairman Board of Administrators, KMC Firhad Hakim said on Saturday.

"If there is filling of waterbody in a particular area, why should the concerned in-charge of the police station could not be held responsible. It is his responsibility to curb such illegal practice. If such things come to my notice I will ask Municipal Commissioner to lodge FIR against the in-charge of the particular police station under whose jurisdiction the waterbody is being filled up," Hakim said while addressing a matter related to heap of garbage being dumped on the bank of a pond at Nadial in ward 140 of KMC at the Talk to KMC programme.

According to Hakim, a practice is rampant in some places where the owner of a waterbody deliberately dumps or encourage dumping of garbage on its bank. Gradually when it gets filled up, construction is carried out at that place. There have been instances when conservancy workers have been stopped from cleaning up garbage dumped at such places.

"During the Left Front rule I suspect that at least 1,000 ponds in the city had been filled up in this manner. It is not right to put a large section of a population at risk for fulfilling the purpose of a handful of people. For this reason, FIR will be initiated against the concerned OC (Officer In Charge) for his failure in stopping such activity," he added.