East Kolkata Wetlands: HC orders public disclosure of illegal structures

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA) to publicly disclose all plots within the protected wetlands where constructions are liable to be demolished.

The authority has been asked to upload the list on its website and publish notices in leading newspapers.

Justice Amrita Sinha issued the direction after examining status reports submitted by the EKWMA and the state government. The court noted that 505 unauthorised constructions, including several high-rise buildings, have already been identified within the notified wetlands area. “Large-scale unauthorised constructions have been made in flagrant violation of the Act and the rules. The wetland authority and the state are grappling with the situation,” the judge observed.

Reiterating earlier restrictions, the court reminded water and electricity service providers that they remain restrained from granting new connections to any unauthorised structure in the wetlands.

It further requested the EKWMA, the state and municipal bodies to coordinate closely to prevent fresh violations.

During the hearing, counsel representing residents of a multi-storied building sought to be added as parties to the proceedings. The court asked them to produce valid sanctions permitting occupation of the premises, clarifying that a panchayat’s permission does not amount to an official sanction. The documents must be placed before the court at the next hearing on February 23, 2026. In a separate direction, the court instructed the registrar of assurance and other registering authorities not to register any property constructed on the wetlands, tightening safeguards against further encroachment of the ecologically sensitive zone.