The chief of a Trinamul-ruled gram panchayat in Nadia’s Hanshkhali has been accused of converting 10 bighas of multi-crop agricultural land by into a pond without the approval of the state government.

The incident has prompted the district administration to start a probe on the basis of a complaint lodged by an elderly farmer, who was threatened with dire consequences by the panchayat chief, Rampada Ghosh. The farmer, Asim Chandra Biswas, was allegedly threatened with dire consequences by Ghosh, who is also the president of Trinamul’s Hanskhali block peasants’ wing.

Ghosh denied the allegations and claimed “his land was a defunct water body”.

Ghosh, 49, pradhan of Mayurhat-I gram panchayat, started changing the character of the land, located in Sibchandrapur, around six months ago allegedly by digging up earth to supply soil to brick kilns. He eventually turned it into a pond and started pisciculture there.

The conversion has created resentment among farmers who own land around Ghosh’s plot. They objected to him raising the edge of the pond and said it disrupted the natural drainage of rain water.

A district official said: “According to rules, the character of an agricultural plot can’t be converted without permission from the land and land reforms department. Also, digging of land more than three feet from an agricultural plot is illegal.”

Block land and land reforms officer Swagata Mandal said “the land is agricultural”. “Ghosh was earlier caught for illegally digging earth. After an investigation, he was fined Rs 25,000. He was also advised to stop digging. It was not possible for me to monitor the status after that. I have now received a fresh complaint about conversion of the land into a big pond. I have instructed the block land revenue inspector to probe the matter and submit a report.”

A senior official of the land and land reforms department said illegal conversion of agricultural land is a non-bailable offence. “The accused may be arrested and if proved guilty, he faces three years’ imprisonment,” the official said.

Biswas, the farmer who lodged the complaint, said he had “repeatedly urged Rampada to stop digging the pond considering the probable impact on land around the spot.

“As he has raised the edge of the water body he has created, the natural drainage in the area has been affected and the farmlands remained waterlogged this monsoon. Farming suffered. Rampada dug up earth from his plot and sold it to brick kilns to make a profit at the expense of the other farmers. But as I had protested, he abused me and threatened me with dire consequences if I raised any further objections,” he said.

Ghosh denied the allegations. “My land was a defunct water body. I have dug up earth and used it for construction of roads under the 100-day job scheme. Water used to accumulate in a portion of the land and often farmers used the water to decompose jute plants. Of late, I have started pisciculture land. Some farmers are trying to malign me,” Ghosh said.