Construction work in full swing on the plot that was a pond. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

A waterbody in Shibpur, measuring more than five cottahs, has allegedly been filled up by a realtor, who has also started constructing a multi-storeyed building on the plot.

The pond, in ward 34 of the Howrah Municipal Corporation, near Shibpur market, was used by around 500 residents and shop-owners of the neighbourhood for bathing and washing clothes and utensils.

The residents have approached mayor Gopal Mukherjee, who has promised to look into the matter. ?I have alerted the district magistrate, but first we need to prove that the plot on which the building is coming up was a pond,? Mukherjee told Metro on Sunday.

District magistrate Nandini Chakravorty said: ?The law prohibits filling up of a waterbody. I have ordered an investigation. If there was really a pond, action will be taken against those who have filled it up to construct the building.?

An FIR has to be lodged if a pond is filled up. ?This is part of the process of restoring the pond. The civic body can take action as the plot is within its area. So can I. If the allegation turns out to be t rue, the offenders will surely be brought to book,? Chakravorty asserted.

When the Metro team visited the spot, it found an enormous concentration of men and machines. A cloud of cement and mortar dust enveloped the area as work on the building was proceeding fast. There was no sign of the pond.

Alok Gupta, a local resident, said: ?The loss of the pond has affected us severely as it was the only waterbody in the locality. We are now facing a water crisis.?

Gupta and some 150 others have joined hands to fight promoter raj in their neighbourhood. ?We have submitted a memorandum to the mayor and will submit a mass petition to the district police chief. We will fight to the end to restore the waterbody,? said an elderly resident.

Sujit Chatterjee, an advocate and the president of Howrah Zilla Krira O Sanskritik Mancha, pointed out that a fire in the locality would prove a disaster, as there was no source to draw water from. ?We will meet the district magistrate on Tuesday and seek immediate restoration of the pond,? he added.