The pond that is being filled up. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, Nov. 19: Residents of Ward 23 of Englishbazar Municipality today protested against the filling up of a 300-year-old waterbody, allegedly by realtors.

The protesters claimed that the culprits had the support of the civic body.

This morning residents of the area saw truckloads of earth being dumped into the pond. However, when reporters went to the spot, a group of youths blocked their way and claimed that the pond was being filled up with the permission of the municipality. They threatened the reporters with “grave consequences” if anything was published.

Inquiries revealed that around 20 families lived around the pond, which was spread over three bighas (60 cottahs). The owner, Panchu Gossain, claimed that the pond had been “encroached” upon by these families.

“A group of local youths came to me recently and proposed that I sell the pond to them. I agreed but what can I do if they start filling it up,” Gossain said.

He later clarified that the sale had not yet been formalised.

The local people said the youths were members of a club located near the pond. “We had told the municipality about the development but they did not react,” one of the residents said.

When reporters informed the chairman of Englishbazar Municipality, Narendranath Tewari, about the incident, he sent civic officials to stop the filling up of the pond.

“No one told me before that the pond was being filled up, not even the councillor of the ward, Mitra Chowdhury, who belongs to the CPM. However, I have sent our men to stop work. I have also informed police and have requested the owner to meet me,” Tewari said.

Menoka Roy, who lives in a house adjacent to the pond, said she has been told to leave in lieu of a cottah of land somewhere else. “We were told that a highrise would be built at the site,” she said.

Sources in the land department said the price of a cottah of land in the area was Rs 10 lakh. The area of the pond is approximately 60 cottahs. Under the West Bengal Inland Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1993, waterbodies of five cottahs or more could not be filled up.

Malda district magistrate Chittaranjan Das said he has asked land department officials to visit the spot and start an inquiry. “The filling up of ponds is illegal and I will look into why the municipality was silent till half of the pond had already been filled.”

The district land and land reforms officer, Amiya Biswas, said he had asked block officials to make inquiries. “We will file a police complaint if needed,” Biswas said. The councillor of the ward refused comment saying she had “not heard” anything about an illegal filling up of a pond.