DID YOU know the city was once the proud owner of 40 ponds of which at least 27 have been gobbled up by land sharks and colonisers? These ponds have taken the shape of concrete structures and palatial buildings and efforts are being made by grabbers to take possession of the rest.
Well, those who settled in this town in the sixties and early seventies would remember seeing ducks having a good time in the middle of these ponds. Besides maintaining the ecological balance the ponds also served as good reservoirs of rain water and to some extent even helped in maintaining the underground water level.
But thanks to official apathy or connivance all that flora and fauna has become history. Kindergarden kids these days see ducks floating in the pages of their pictorial books. Land grabbers with official connivance have deprived present day kids of being close to the nature.
They have even cared a fig for the SC order which debars conversion of ponds into land use.
Sources say, together, these ponds measured around 400 bighas.
This glaring fact came to light recently following a survey undertaken by the administration.
Shocked over the manner in which the revenue department, Nagar Nigam and officials concerned had acted in the past, DM Amrit Abhijat who is also acting as the town's administrator, has asked assistant municipal commissioner KD Singh to submit a detailed report about the status of these ponds which will be forwarded to the Board of Revenue.
{{/usCountry}}Shocked over the manner in which the revenue department, Nagar Nigam and officials concerned had acted in the past, DM Amrit Abhijat who is also acting as the town's administrator, has asked assistant municipal commissioner KD Singh to submit a detailed report about the status of these ponds which will be forwarded to the Board of Revenue.
{{/usCountry}}As far as illegal possession is concerned everybody knows how powerful are the people behind the grabbing of these ponds.
Remember when HT Live wrote a story about grabbing of the big pond in George Town by land sharks in August 2003, a PIL was filed following which the HC ordered a CBI inquiry which is hanging fire till date. Earlier in this case all efforts were made to harass the SDM who unravelled the faces of the men who were behind the grabbing of the pond. Even some officers who took plots on this pond converted into a big plot used all powers in their hands to harass the officer.
Caring two hoots for the CBI inquiry the construction work had been going on since then and a number of buildings have already come up.
Contact with the old residents of the area would also reveal a startling fact. In the case of this pond which used to contain all the rainwater of George Town and Tagore Town areas, it was the garbage wing of the Nagar Nigam which was hand in glove with the grabbers. At least a dozen trucks loaded with garbage and earth used to dump the waste in this pond. So deep was the nexus that cops were called in by the NN whenever residents dared to object to this illegal activity. In the end the NN and the grabbers had their way. Today there's no trace of this pond which had once been discussed by officials who wanted to convert it into a boating spot for kids. However, if the administration really means business action will be taken against those who have constructed dwellings over these ponds spread over the entire city including Minhajpur, Khuldabad, Allahpur, Muthiganj, Bairhana, Kydganj, Alopi Bagh, Sohbatiabagh, Shivkuti etc.