Space crisis: Citizens provide KMC private lands for dev work

Kolkata: With the scarcity of land in the city often tying up the hands of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) from carrying out many new projects, citizens have come forward to gift lands to the civic body for development works, be it for the installation of a water supply booster pumping station or for the construction of a satellite health centre.

Mayor Firhad Hakim has regretted the paucity of space in Kolkata, time and again.

Even as the civic body comes up with certain project ideas that relate to setting up pumping stations or health centres, it is often found scouring for space and eventually, at times, shelving the project.

However, citizens have often come forward to help the KMC. There have been occasions where private lands were given to KMC as a gift deed for development works.

Presently, KMC sources said that a cooperative colony society has written to the KMC’s municipal commissioner, willing to gift two pieces and parcel of land, one measuring 2 bighas, 7 cottahs and 6 chattak, more or less, and the other measuring 3 cottahs at various plots in Ward no. 126. About five plots in total under West Barisha have been gifted by the Kalyan Nagar Co-operative Colony Society Ltd to the KMC for carrying out various development works in the ward under Borough XVI.

Commenting on how KMC planning to use these vacant plots, sources said that at the available vacant land, a water supply booster pumping station along with other types of development works according to the need of the area may be undertaken.

Meanwhile, another citizen is said to have offered KMC to exchange a narrow strip of land at 22 Gobra Road, with a private land of regular shape but of the same measurement.

Civic body sources said the narrow strip of land that runs through 22 Gobra Road cannot be utilised for any fruitful purpose due to its size. Hence, the offer to exchange it for private land of a regular shape that has access to a public road has come as a boon for the civic body.

A KMC official said that at present, KMC has to search for land in all the wards for setting up a satellite health centre to provide health services to all the citizens. “Very often, no such land is available under the control of the KMC. With this offer, the civic body will be able to set up a satellite health centre on this land,” said the official.