Calcutta HC warns of water crisis due to encroachment

The Calcutta High Court observed on Monday that the way waterbodies are being filled up illegally in Kolkata, many areas of the city will face water scarcity.

The high court made the observation while hearing a petition filed by the Mayor of the Bidhannanagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Sabyasachi Dutta, also a Trinamool Congress(TMC) MLA, challenging a no-confidence notice issued to him by TMC councillors.

During the hearing, Justice Samapti Chatterjee said that the way waterbodies are being randomly filled up is unfortunate.

“Everyone but the government seems to be aware of it,” said the Justice.

Responding to the submission by Dutta’s lawyer Bikash Bhattacharya that Dutta was being targeted for cracking down on illegal filling up of water bodies and demolishing illegal construction, the judge said that the court is aware of waterbodies getting filled illegally in Kolkata and Bidhannagar area. She sought to know whose interest the government was serving.

“Don’t they have any knowledge of global warming and its consequences,” she asked.