Kolkata ponds have returned to the centre of the city’s environmental and civic debate after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari alleged that 5,000 waterbodies in Kolkata and its adjoining areas had been filled in during the Trinamool Congress’s tenure. He made the charge at an event in south Kolkata’s Kudghat marking the restoration of two neglected ponds at a combined cost of more than Rs 9 crore.
Adhikari said the loss of ponds had caused significant environmental harm and linked their protection to the quality of public services delivered by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He called on voters to elect the BJP to the civic body, arguing that coordination between the state government and the KMC would be necessary to improve neighbourhood amenities and safeguard urban waterbodies.
The two restored ponds in Kudghat were named ‘Shiv’ and ‘Shakti’. According to the chief minister, one restoration project cost around Rs 5.79 crore and the other approximately Rs 3.59 crore. The projects were undertaken to revive waterbodies that had fallen into a poor condition and had become sources of foul smells for residents living in the surrounding neighbourhoods.
“The previous government and its councillors filled up 5,000 ponds, from Joka-Haridevpur to Barasat-Madhyamgram,” Adhikari alleged at the programme. The figure and attribution were reported by The Telegraph Online; the report did not provide an independent assessment or documentary evidence establishing the total number of ponds lost.
The restored sites are expected to include plantation, fish cultivation and the beautification of areas around the waterbodies, Adhikari said. He also stated that residents of neighbourhoods neglected in civic planning were entitled to better public amenities and improved environmental conditions.
The event comes amid continuing concern over threats to ecologically sensitive wetlands around Kolkata, which The Telegraph Online has previously reported on. Urban ponds serve as local water-retention spaces and environmental assets, but the report did not provide technical details on the restored ponds’ capacity, catchment areas, water quality or role in flood management.
Adhikari said the state government was seeking to revive neglected urban spaces and improve conditions in densely populated areas. He expressed hope that the state government and the KMC would work together on similar efforts in the future. He also referred to the government’s plans to attract investment and create employment, citing the inauguration of a new five-star hotel in New Town earlier in the day.
