No electricity and water supply for new illegal buildings, Calcutta HC cracks down

In a major blow to land being filling up East Kolkata Wetlands, the Calcutta High Court today strictly orders that no new illegal construction will get electricity or water connections anywhere in the state. Justice Amrita Sinha, hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) against fresh encroachment, made it clear that authorities must strictly follow the 2006 Wetlands Conservation Act and take immediate legal action against violators.

The ruling is being seen as a game-changer because builders often complete illegal structures quickly once basic utilities are quietly provided. The court went further and directed the East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority to immediately publish all protected plot numbers (dag numbers) on its website and in English and Bengali newspapers. This will make it impossible for anyone to later claim they “didn’t know” the land was wetland.

The judge warned that hiding or delaying this information will no longer be tolerated and asked for a detailed report on action taken against ongoing illegal constructions by 23 February, the next hearing date. Environmentalists welcomes the order, saying it closes the biggest loophole that allowed promoters to grab precious water bodies. Local residents hope the public list of protected plots will finally stop real-estate land mafias from cheating buyers with fake papers in the name of “housing projects”.