About 5,000 residents of Jyotinagar Colony in north Kolkata’s Cossipore area have been struggling without piped water for more than 50 days. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation disconnected the supply on July 29, plunging the economically weaker residents into severe distress amidst an ongoing land eviction dispute.
Piped Water Disconnected Without Warning
Residents, mostly daily wage earners and rag-pickers, rely heavily on roadside taps as there are no piped connections inside their shanties. The abrupt disconnection has forced women and children to fetch water from distant areas or depend on erratic tanker supplies twice a week.
Legal Battle in Calcutta High Court
The land belongs to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, which served eviction notices under the Public Premises Act. Following the disconnection and sudden eviction notices, the residents moved the Calcutta High Court. The court has extended an interim order restraining authorities from taking coercive steps against the residents until further hearings.