Officials of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) will begin inspecting clubs at Rabindra Sarobar next week to assess their sewerage and drainage systems and determine whether any wastewater is being discharged into the lake.

Six clubs — Lake Club, Calcutta Rowing Club, Bengal Rowing Club, ILSS (Anderson Club), Calcutta Sports Association and Lake Friends — operate within the Rabindra Sarobar complex. KMDA sources said officials would visit each of them and prepare reports on their drainage and sewage disposal arrangements.

The move follows concerns raised by urban development minister Agnimitra Paul about the clubs' sewerage and drainage systems.

During a visit to Rabindra Sarobar on Wednesday, Paul said her department would examine whether the clubs' drainage and sewage networks were affecting the lake.

“I learnt about the clubs while interacting with morning walkers. The drainage and sewerage systems of these clubs will have to be checked,” Paul had said. “We will also have to examine the sewage system of a mosque located here.”

The KMDA, which functions under the urban development department, is the custodian of Rabindra Sarobar, where the six clubs and a mosque are located.

A KMDA team inspected the mosque on Thursday and found that there was no washroom on its premises.

“We will start visiting the clubs next week to examine their disposal systems and verify whether any of them are connected to the lake. Each club will be informed in advance, and the management will be requested to nominate a representative who can explain the existing drainage and sewerage arrangements,” a senior KMDA official said.

During Wednesday’s visit, Paul had also voiced concerns about alleged encroachment by some clubs, saying parts of Rabindra Sarobar appeared to have narrowed into a “chicken’s neck”.

Representatives of some clubs, however, said the concerns were misplaced. They maintained that the shape of the 78-acre water body had remained unchanged since its inception.

According to club officials, all six clubs signed fresh lease agreements with the KMDA in November 2025 in the presence of Firhad Hakim, then urban development minister and mayor of Calcutta. Under the agreement, the clubs undertook not to carry out any new construction within their premises, restricting themselves to repair and maintenance work.

“There is no question of our drainage or sewage system opening into the lake. We survive because of the lake, so why would we even think of doing something like that?” said Amit Bose of ILSS.

KMDA officials said photographs would be taken during each inspection and attached to reports documenting the drainage and sewerage infrastructure of the six clubs.