Building materials such as sand, cement, stone chips and bricks and construction waste dumped along roads have become a common sight across New Town.
They block entire pavements and even portions of roads in several areas of the township, forcing pedestrians to walk on the carriageway.
The dumped materials are hard to spot at night.
Many commuters have complained to this newspaper that they need to slow down in order to navigate their way carefully through such roads to avoid any accident.
The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), which provides civic services to the three action areas of the township, allows builders to stack construction materials on pavements for three months from the issue of the building permit or till the first-floor roof casting is done.
The guidelines issued by the NKDA also state that construction materials must be wrapped properly to minimise air pollution in and around the area.
They further state that these materials must not spill on the roads and no damage should be caused to the roads or the pavements.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) also allows builders and plot owners to stack construction materials on pavements for three months from the time the building permit is issued or till the time the first-floor roof casting is over.
However, these rules are flouted everywhere, including New Town.
To add to the woes of the residents of the township, such materials cause a spike in air pollution in the areas they are stacked.
Construction materials and waste also flow into gully pits and drainage channels causing them to choke. This in turn leads to waterlogging in several parts of the township every monsoon.
On Tuesday, The Telegraph drove through New Town and saw construction materials and construction waste dumped on roads in all three action areas.
In Action Area I, several roads in the BC and BD blocks, a stone’s throw from the Senior Citizens’ Park opposite Novotel Hotel, had piles of construction materials on pavements and even on roads.
The AA and AB blocks, in the same action area, were no different.
In Action Area II, stacks of bricks and mounds of sand were spotted on the road near Eco Urban Village, a five-minute drive from Eco Park.
No enclosure was made for the sand, because of which they were getting scattered over the area and causing air pollution.
The situation was similar on the road that leads to the Akankha Housing Complex from the Akankha More on Major Arterial Road.
Action Area III was no different.
Subham Choudhary, a resident of BD Block, said he was forced to walk on the road in front of his house.
“I have to walk on the road that leads to the New Town bus stand every day as construction materials have completely blocked the footpaths here,” said Choudhary.
The NKDA can issue a fine of up to Rs 50,000 or issue a “stop-work notice” in case such materials are found dumped on the roads and pavements and if they block gully pits and drainage channels, a senior NKDA official said.
The penal provision has possibly never been used, the official said.
Both the NKDA and the KMC have the power to remove the materials if they remain on a pavement or a road for more than the stipulated period.
The civic bodies can also issue a “stop-work notice” for violation of the orders.