The New Town authorities are setting up watchtowers and CCTV cameras near large empty tracts of land to prevent anyone from lighting fires there, an official of the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) said.
Birds of various species nest in the grasslands of New Town. Fires that are frequently reported from those grasslands not also destroy the ecosystem of the avian species but also cause air pollution.
The Telegraph has reported on multiple occasions how setting fire to garbage on the grasslands was causing the air pollution levels to shoot up across a large area, inconveniencing residents and creating serious problems for those with breathing distress.
The fires also destroy the habitat of birds and small animals like foxes.
A senior NKDA official said they are taking a string of measures to prevent such fires and also catch anyone trying to light a fire on grasslands.
The authority has set up a couple of watchtowers — on an grassland near Sukhobrishti Housing Complex and behind Mother’s Wax Museum. Red Munia and other birds nest at these two places.
At least half a dozen more towers are coming up, an NKDA official said.
In addition, CCTV cameras are being installed on lamp posts and other street furniture near the grasslands.
“We have water bowsers that rush to sites of fire as soon as we get an alert. The teams in charge of the water bowsers are working with the fire department," the official said.
The NKDA also despatch bicycle patrol teams to the grasslands daily.
"NKDA representatives as well volunteers from various housing societies, blocks and residents' groups in the township will move on motorcycles in all three action areas and look out for fires on grasslands. They will also check whether garbage is being dumped on empty plots," the official said.
Residents’ resistance groups, NKDA representatives and police have caught many people lighting a fire on grasslands.
The men gave a wide range of reasons — driving out snakes, making a safe passage for cattle to graze and burning waste. Some even reportedly said they just wanted to see how a grassland up in flames looked.