Mayor Firhad Hakim while on his way to Joka on Monday stopped seeing a truck carrying construction waste towards the city's southern fringe. He asked police to prosecute the vehicle's owner for not carrying the waste to the Calcutta Municipal Corporation's construction and demolition waste plant.
Near the intersection of Burdwan Road and Diamond Harbour Road, Hakim told a traffic sergeant that he feared the vehicle was on its way to a water body, many of which were being illegally filled up across the city.
Hakim was on his way to a borough-level meeting.
"I stopped a truck carrying building waste headed towards the city's south. The vehicle was subsequently handed over to the traffic police. I spotted a few other similar trucks on my way. The vehicle numbers are with us and I will share them with the police commissioner," Hakim said.
"There is a rule in place that all construction waste in the city must be deposited to our C&D (construction and demolition waste) plant. Even the police commissioner has been made aware of this rule through a letter."
In May, the civic body inaugurated a plant to process construction and demolition waste in New Town's Patharghata, where the CMC will send such material instead of dumping it in Dhapa. The idea behind setting up the plant was to resolve a decades-old problem of disposing waste generated during construction or demolition of buildings or repairs, a senior official said.
"I would request the police commissioner to ensure strict surveillance of vehicles moving out of the city through Majerhat bridge. We will be able to address the old ailment of filling up of water bodies," Hakim said.
"If a building is being pulled down, the onus is on the owner to send the demolition waste to the plant. Why are such vehicles carrying construction waste allowed to leave the city?" Hakim asked.
"It is impossible to fight a lone battle against pollution and illegally filling up ponds," said Hakim, also the state's urban development minister.
Officers of the Southwest traffic guard seized the truck and took it to Alipore police station.
