For over a month and a half, residents of Chitpur Jyotinagar Colony in Cossipore, North Kolkata, have been without regular water supply after five public taps serving the colony ran dry following pipeline work in the area. Home to around 5,000 people, the 200-metre-long stretch is largely inhabited by people belonging to the Muslim community, and from lower-income backgrounds.
Residents, whose daily lives and livelihoods have been disrupted, alleged that water supply has been deliberately cut off by the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to target them on the basis of their identities and force them out of the slum.
It is worth noting days after the election results were declared, local BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari had pledged not to do anything for Muslims in his constituency. “Today, in front of Baba Bholenath, I swear, I will not do one job for them (Muslims) in the next five years. Will not issue any certificate for them. I am saying this live. I do not care about what anyone else says or thinks," he had said.
The Chitpur Jyotinagar Colony in Cossipore, North Kolkata
Residents of Jyotinagar this colony mostly depend on informal jobs for their sustenance. While women manage household chores in the morning before working at nearby factories in the afternoon, where they clean glass bottles and break glass panels into shards, most men work as daily wage labourers, masons, drivers, rickshaw pullers, or at factories.
Several women from the area earn a livelihood by breaking glass panels into shards
How Did Water Supply Stop?
Alt News visited the water-deprived area, located a few meters from the over 200-years-old Cossipore Gun and Shell factory. The colony has five taps, which used to supply water from 5 am to 11 pm daily. Since July 29, after water supply was cut off, all five taps have been dry, locals said.
Locals said that water supply was perfectly normal and no complaints from the neighbourhood was made to the local civic body or any authorities, and yet, pipeline work was carried out in the area by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) from July 26-28.
“Pipeline work was happening, they had dug two pits, one at the beginning of the slum and another at the end, marking the slum. On July 28, the water supply stopped around 11 pm. The next morning, we were waiting for the water supply to return. It has not been restored since,” said a resident, Mohinudeen Sheikh.
Sheikh, along with other residents, alleged that the pipelines were shut during the night while the roads were being repaired. “They used the cover of midnight to close the pipelines and mend the streets. We had no water from the early morning onwards,” he claimed.
‘They Also Took Away Electricity’
Residents said the water crisis was accompanied by a disruption in electricity supply as well. “They took away both water and electricity,” one youth said.
“They thought we were drawing electricity illegally from the main line, so they stopped the supply,” said a resident, Pinki Bibi. “All our houses have separate electricity connections and we receive separate bills. Then how can they say we are drawing electricity illegally?”
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Pinki Bibi
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Mohinudeen Sheikh
Residents claimed that electricity was restored after more than a week, following an incident during the Kanwar Yatra when poor visibility allegedly led some Kanwariyas to fall into the pothole-ridden lane. Alamgir Biswas, secretary of the Jyotinagar Colony, said that the supply was restored 10-15 days after the Basti Unnayan Samiti protested against the disruption.
Locals alleged that Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) said the main-road connection had been shut to verify whether allegations of illegal electricity tapping were true. However, electricity supply remained available in the lanes branching off the main road. After seven days, CESC was able to verify that no illegal tapping was taking place and restored the connection, they added.
‘They are Trying to Evict Us’
Residents alleged that the disruption of these essential services was a part of a concerted attempt to evict the slum dwellers. Alamgir alleged: “The plan was to cut off the basic needs of water and electricity so that we leave the area. In this area, there is absolute communal harmony. Hindus and Muslims live harmoniously together. However, this government is trying to create a rift between us.”
Morjina Begum, who works at the glass factory, also alleged, “They are trying to evict us from this colony and therefore employing these tricks of cutting off the water supply. We are not new to this place. I was born here. My grandfather had settled here years ago," while asserting, "We are not going to leave this place so easily. We will fight."
Begum said residents had also approached the local councillor, Suman Singh, but has received no meaningful assistance as of yet. Alt News tried to speak to Singh, but he did not answer our calls till press time.
Saraswati Biswas, a 60-year-old Hindu resident, alleged that Tiwari, the newly elected MLA, had referred to the residents as "Bangladeshis and encroachers". “He is calling us Bangladeshis and encroachers. How am I a Bangladeshi? My forefathers used to live here. I have proper documents proving that I am an Indian. I voted this year,” she said.
Saraswati Biswas
Legal Entanglement With Kolkata Port
While investigating the possible reason behind the elongated water supply disruption, Alt News found an intricate legal entanglement between the residents of the colony and the authorities of the Kolkata port.
As per legal records, the entire colony is built on a parcel of land measuring approximately 3478 square metres officially belonging to the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata. On February 23, the estate officer of the port issued an eviction order for the colony.
Alt News accessed the order, and found that it was issued based on the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. The notice terms the residents of Jyotinagar Colony as ‘unauthorised occupants and/or trespasser to the port property’. The estate officer ordered the residents to vacate the land within 15 days of date of publication of this notice. Before the eviction order was passed, a hearing took place, wherein, port authorities submitted that 'there is potential threat to communal unrest' due to the existence of the colony.
According to legal documents accessed by Alt News, the residents of the colony came to know about the existence of this eviction order on June 9. The residents alleged that after the change of government in West Bengal, local BJP supporters started to campaign for the demolition of the slum. The locals claimed that they began deeming the colony as "a den of illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators".
In order to seek legal protection from the eviction drive, residents appealed before the chief judge of the city civil court, Calcutta, however, on August 18, the court declined to grant any immunity from eviction to them.
The Port authorities in their submission before the city civil court had mentioned that ‘unlawful activities’ were ongoing in the colony. They described the premises as congested and unsafe for human habitation, citing the presence of inflammable materials and several uninsulated electrical wires that could potentially cause a fire. They also lodged two police complaints at the North Port police station on September 9, 2020 and July 25, 2022.
On August 19, the residents appeared before the Calcutta high court, seeking protection from eviction. The court granted an interim stay order on the eviction process till September 18. In the meantime, the water and electricity disruptions happened, which residents believe was done to purposely disrupt their lives to expedite the eviction.
Kolkata port authorities claim they are losing more than Rs 2 crore annually in revenue due to the colony
Nine residents of the colony: Alamgir Biswas, Pinki Bibi, Mafajel Gazi, Sk Mainuddin, Rahima Bibi, Saraswati Biswas, Anita Prasad, Lima Bibi and Bonani Bibi appeared as petitioners before the high court. In their appeal, the residents had informed the HC that although the proceedings recorded before the estate officer of Kolkata Port mentioned two persons: Hafizul and Tarcina Bibi as respondents from the colony, the order does not record that any notice for eviction, under section 4 of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, was issued publicly.
It was also submitted before the HC that the order issued by the Kolkata Port does not record that the petitioners were called upon to show cause against the proposed eviction, were afforded an opportunity to produce evidence or were given an opportunity of personal hearing.
According to Section 4 of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, all concerned persons, that is all persons who are in occupation of the public premises, have to be given the opportunity to show cause why they wouldn’t be evicted.
Section 4(3) of the Act clearly mentions: The estate officer shall cause the notice to be served by having it affixed on the outer door or some other conspicuous part of the public premises, and in such other manner as may be prescribed, whereupon the notice shall be deemed to have been duly given to all persons concerned. However, the order issued by the estate officer makes no mention of any such notice being issued or served. This issue was also raised in the petition before the high court.
A team of lawyers including Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Samim Ahammed, Md Nasirul Hoque and Ivi Banerjee represented the residents legally. Speaking to Alt News, Ahammed said, “The Port authorities are claiming that the land in question is their property. But in reality, it is public property. Therefore, a government body like the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, must ensure the fundamental rights of the public, in this case, their right to shelter.”
The State has the power to regulate and make sure people follow the law and cannot occupy public property illegally. They are exercising this power through the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. But while doing this, the State cannot treat people unfairly or take away someone's home and leave them without shelter. Having a place to live and being able to live with dignity are part of a person's inalienable rights protected by the Constitution, he explained.
Simultaneously with the HC appeal, another appeal was submitted by the residents before the chief judge of the city civil court seeking the restoration of water connection. This prayer, however, is still pending.
According to the port authorities, the total damage incurred due to the existence of the colony, starting from 1990, has reached approximately over Rs 61 crore. As per the legal records, the estimated monthly damage amount is calculated to be more than Rs 19 lakh rupees, and the port is losing more than Rs 2 crore annually in terms of revenue due to the colony.
Questions Of 'Communal Targeting'
The geographical location of the water disruption has become a point of contention for residents, who have alleged that this is a form of communal targeting.
When one walks along Khagendra Chatterjee Lane towards the Ganges, with the Gun and Shell Factory on the right, the road turns left towards the river after two temples, and becomes Chitpur Strand Road. The Cossipore Jetty is on the right, followed by Jyotinagar Colony.
Residents showed Alt News the two points where pipeline work had been carried out. They said the entire stretch between the two points had remained without water. They also alleged that the points where the road was dug up correspond to the boundaries of Jyotinagar Colony, which has a predominantly Muslim population. According to the residents, taps immediately before and after this stretch, located in predominantly Hindu residential areas, continue to receive water.
Alt News checked the taps inside the colony and found them dry. Taps located immediately before and after the stretch where the pipeline work had been carried out, however, had water supply. We found that the tap directly opposite a temple, just before the first point where the road had allegedly been dug up, had water supply. The tap at the other end, near the second point where digging had taken place, also had water. In between, however, an approximately 150-metre stretch, had no water supply.
‘A Basic Need’
For residents, the suspension of water has led to tremendous daily struggle. “Water is a basic need. There are so many people in our colony, and there is no water. People have to stand in queues to fetch water from the taps that are present in the nearby areas. Though people are sharing their taps, they prioritise their own needs. This affects our work,” a resident said.
A woman in her mid-twenties, while cleaning utensils, showed buckets filled with water fetched from the river. "Look at the condition of the water we are using to clean. It is so muddy and filthy. At this point, all we can hope is we don't fall ill," she said.
A woman washes utensils using water from the Ganges, sitting beside a tap that has remained dry since July 29
The monsoon season has made it more difficult. “The water level is very high in Ganga now, so it becomes dangerous to bathe in the river or fetch water. The river water is muddy and unfit for consumption. But we are left with no option,” an elderly woman said. “We are scared that our children will develop skin infections. There are already a few cases,” said a woman in her thirties, while standing in queue to bathe her children.
Women and children wait for their turn to bathe
Residents have to walk some distance from their colony to a functioning tap to fill water, which they then transport back on vans.
Women fetching water from afar on a van
Locals Allege Administrative Apathy
Alamgir elaborated that after water and electricity supply was cut off on July 29, the following day, locals reached the corporation office and complained. “They took my number and told us that they would look into the matter. But nothing happened. On the following day, we submitted a written complaint at the main corporation office in Hatibagan. They also told us they would try to look into it. However, as everyone can see, nothing has changed as of yet,” he said.
Alamgir Biswas, secretary of the Jyotinagar Colony
Several residents had approached the local police station, the councillor, and MLA Tiwari, seeking their intervention, but no official visited the colony to inspect the reality so far, they lamented. Residents also said that when a group of women approached Tiwari, he dismissed them stating he was not responsible for the disruption of water supply and refused to restore it.
Further, Pinki Bibi alleged that Tiwari had used communal slurs and threatened the locals with eviction. “While talking to the people, he threatened them, ‘If I want, I could demolish the mosque that was built in the colony. And evict the entire colony with it,’” she said.
Morjina Begum
Morjina Begum told Alt News that residents believe they are being purposely treated this way because of their Muslim identities. Asked why they felt this was the case, she referred to speeches by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and the local MLA following their election victories, in which they said they would not work for Muslims because Muslims had not voted for them. “Where are we supposed to go? There are so many of us?” she asked.
Also Read: I swear I won’t do anything for Muslims, says Bengal BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari
Burdened by the uncertainties of their future in the colony, an elderly woman in her 70s, sitting on the threshold of her house, said, “I pray that in my next life I am not born as a Muslim in this country."
On September 9, Minakshi Mukherjee, CPI(M)'s central committee member, visited the locality along with other workers and leaders, and expressed her solidarity with the residents and protested against the eviction drive. At the initiative of the party, a water tanker visits the colony every two to three days to provide residents with an alternative source of water.
MLA Ritesh Tiwari Responds
When Alt News asked Tiwari about the predicament of people in his constituency, he distanced himself from the issue, saying, “The plot belongs to the Port. The people have a feud with the Port. The Port had ordered them to vacate. Later, the high court ordered them to refrain from taking temporary coercive action. The water supply is provided by the KMC. So, what role do I play here? What can I say here? The matter is sub judice, and it is better for political leaders to refrain from making any comments.”
When asked whether he could stand by the people of his constituency and help restore their water supply, he said, “This is not my job...they [residents] have sought the assistance of established political leaders... so they should keep faith in the people they have called. Should they lose that faith so quickly?”
Upon being further prodded on why he was not helping people in his own constituency, the MLA replied (in Bengali), “Why don't you do my part of the job!" ("Amar bhaag er kaaj ta apni kore deben")
The Ganges flows past the colony. The river is at their doorstep. Water is not
All photos by Ankita Mahalanobish.
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