KMC to rejuvenate several city ponds at cost of about Rs 11 cr

Kolkata: In the wake of complaints of water bodies being filled up for real estate purposes, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), making conservation of these its priority, has decided to rejuvenate several of them at a cost of Rs 11 crore.

According to the instructions of Mayor Firhad Hakim, the civic body has been taking actions against parties accused of filling up water bodies in the city. For a water body survey, KMC’s Environment department had sought help from the state government’s department of Science & Technology & Biotechnology for Boroughs I-X. For Boroughs XI-XVI, Jadavpur University was roped in for the survey to prepare an inventory of water-bodies. So far the KMC has restored 300 such water bodies which also helped in preventing mosquito borne diseases, it was learnt. The Environment department is now learnt to have undertaken several schemes for pond rejuvenation work at a cost of Rs 11 crore. This will involve water body restoration at several locations in the city. Work will be undertaken at Convent Lane in Ward 56, in Ward 57 at Patra Para Road, Katjunagar Pond in Ward 93, ‘3 no. jheel’ in Behala in Ward 127, and at Martin Para in Ward 108.

These are some of the water bodies in a long list.

Officials said that the KMC has the right to take over ill-maintained water bodies for restoration by invoking 17A of West Bengal Inland Fisheries Act, 1993 in case the owner of the pond fails to carry out maintenance work. It was learnt that the Environment department has already given permission to 31 agencies for carrying out pisciculture on some of the restored waterbodies taken over by KMC to generate revenue and employment.