After issuing a list of do’s and don’ts for illegal constructions last week, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has now come up with a six-point standard operating procedures (SOPs) for early detection and immediate action against illegal filling and ill-maintenance of water bodies in its limits.

The SOPs mandate complaints on illegal filling of water bodies to the borough executive engineer and an immediate action on the matter within 24 hours. The borough executive engineer has been given the crucial responsibility of not only taking the necessary action within the stipulated time, but also lodging an FIR at the local police station. A copy of the report on the actions taken is now to be submitted to the civic body’s Environment and Heritage (E and H) department along with the building and water supply departments. Taking a stern step further, the (E and H) department has been allotted the task of initiating an immediate action, under Section 496 of KMC Act 1980 in consultation with the borough, health and solid waste management departments of the municipal corporation. In case of privately-owned water bodies, if found in ill-maintained condition, a notice would be given to the owner as per the prevailing provisions of law and pisciculture would be carried out as further course of action. The municipal corporation would also provide the aerial map and tank list available with the (E and H) department of the civic body to the boroughs for follow up activities.

According to the Member-mayor-in-council for environment and heritage (E and H), Swapan Samaddar, the SOPs have been given to enable enhanced monitoring of the water bodies that are more concentrated in South Kolkata. “The SOPs have been drawn to decentralize the work of keeping a watch from the headquarters level and spread it to the boroughs and below for carrying out a strict vigil on filling of water bodies by the ground zero staff,” informed Mr Samaddar.

“This would help in better monitoring of the water bodies in the KMC limits from the very local level by incorporating more staff for the task,” he added.

Among the other list of SOPs, the municipal corporation has also been instructed to form a ten-member ‘Borough Level Committee’ including officials like the borough chairman, borough executive engineer, executive engineers of building, water supply, E and H along with the officer-in-charge of the local police station. In the list of SOPs, the committee has been asked to review the complaints or matters of illegal filling or ill-maintained water bodies on a monthly basis.