5,000 Kolkata Residents Face 50-Day Water Crisis Amid Eviction Dispute
· India · Hindustan Times, The Hindu
Around 5,000 residents of Jyotinagar Colony in north Kolkata’s Cossipore area have been without piped water for over 50 days after the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) cut off supplies on July 29. The disruption stems from an eviction dispute, with the Calcutta High Court extending an interim order blocking coercive actions against the occupants. The colony’s 350 voters—mostly daily labourers and rag pickers—rely on six disconnected roadside taps, forcing them to travel long distances for water. The land, measuring 3,478 sq m, belongs to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, and eviction notices under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, were issued after a regime change in the state. No prior notice or reason was given for the water cutoff, leaving residents without access to basic amenities.
Why it matters
The crisis directly impacts 5,000 marginalised residents—primarily daily wage workers and rag pickers—who depend on the colony for survival, exacerbating their already precarious living conditions. The prolonged water shortage also raises concerns about public health and sanitation in one of Kolkata’s densely populated areas, while the legal and administrative delays underscore systemic failures in addressing eviction disputes and basic service provision.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
Join us on Telegram
Breaking news the moment it lands. At 10,000 members we ship the Android app.