Huts with asbestos roof and brick walls built on concrete stilts have sprouted up in several places on Kestopur and Bagjola canals in northeast Kolkata blocking their natural gradient, a recent survey by the Salt Lake and New Town authorities has revealed.
As a consequence roads in New Town, Salt Lake and adjoining areas like stretches of VIP Road and the Major Arterial Road (MAR) get flooded every time there is heavy downpour.
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation as well the New Town authorities have stormwater drainage stations that pump out water into these two canals.
According to officials of both these civic bodies, despite pumping out water into the canals they are overflowing as the natural gradients have been severely affected by lack of dredging. The problem has been compounded by these constructions and rampant dumping of garbage into the canals.
Several blocks of New Town got flooded during a recent shower when parts of the Bagjola canal started overflowing.
An official of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation said many such structures have come up in several places of the Kestopur canal. In New Town, several stretches of the Bagjola canal have been taken over by squatters who have built homes by sinking stilts into the canal bed.
Krishna Chakraborty, the chairperson of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation’s board of administrators, said they had spotted such structures in many places. “We are not for evictions but something has to be done. We have suggested to the irrigation department that if need be, iron fencing can be installed on the canal banks after demolishing these structures.”
Debashis Sen, the chairman of NKDA that provides civic services in New Town, said they had set up nets in several places along the canals to prevent people from dumping garbage.
“They are turning stagnant and the areas surrounding them are getting waterlogged. Mosquitoes too are a cause of concern.”
An official of the irrigation department said they were aware of the problems. “Encroachment is a huge problem. Before every eviction we have to talk to our political bosses as well as small-time leaders, even then we have to face issues,” he said.