North 24-Parganas district admin cracks down on illegal filling up of water bodies

Kolkata: North 24-Parganas district administration has cracked down on the illegal filling up of water bodies across the district following instructions from the Urban Development Department.

It had issued an instruction to the top brass of the North 24-Parganas district administration asking them to take stringent actions against filling up of water bodies and ponds that are often reported from various places.

The matter was also taken up during an administrative meeting convened by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Barasat a few months ago where Banerjee instructed the administrative officials to strongly deal with the issue.

The land and land reform officers in all the Sub-divisions have been asked to keep a tap on the water bodies so that corrupt practices could be checked.

All the municipalities in the districts have also been asked to take strong steps if any complaints regarding filling up of water bodies come up from any particular area.

The municipalities have also been instructed to carry out renovation works of the ponds and water bodies that are in bad shape. The district administration has already taken actions and checked the illegal filling up of water bodies in the various sub-divisions. Such incidents are often reported from various places under Barrackpore Sub-Division.

A senior administrative official from the district on the conditions of anonymity said illegal filling up of the water bodies have been stopped at various places in the district. Appropriate steps are being taken against the accused under inland fisheries Act and land and land reforms Act.

It may be mentioned here that allegations of illegally filling up of water bodies not only surface from Barrackpore but also from other sub-divisions. The latest recent incident was reported from Barasat where an attempt was made to fill up a pond illegally. A guard wall was constructed around the pond with an intention to fill up the pond.

Locals submitted a mass petition to state secretariat at Nabanna following which the district administration was directed to take appropriate steps in this regard. A case has been started under Land Reforms Act to preserve the pond.

The officials from Barasat Municipality recently visited the spot and stopped the illegal construction around the pond. According to Barasat Municipality Chairman Sunil Mukherjee, illegal construction around the pond has been stopped and all necessary steps are being taken for the proper preservation of the pond. The municipality will also take up beautification works around the pond.

State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim on Wednesday in the Assembly said steps have been taken to ensure proper preservation of water bodies. He also alleged that during the Left Front regime, water bodies were rampantly filled up destroying the ecological balance.