12 Kolkata: At a time when agencies are conducting drives to evict encroachers from govt land and reclaim the “lost properties”, multiple plots in Salt Lake were found being occupied by squatters or “traders”, who run private business, like nurseries or shops, there.
Most of these plots are vacant pieces of land that the state took over after the owner could not be traced or the owner failed to build a house there.
Such an address is EC 48, a six-cottah land less than 50m from the BMC headquarters. ‘Green View’, a nursery has been set up there, complete with a sign board beside the placard, declaring it a govt plot. But Ratan Naskar, who manages the nursery, said, “I was awarded this space by the ward office. Garbage used to be dumped here. I cleaned it up and set up a nursery.” Similar nurseries can be found on vacant, govt plots in AE, BD and BE Blocks and opposite the sub-divisional hospital. Others are occupied by eateries, snacks shops, ironing stalls and green grocers’ stalls. Construction materials are dumped on others.
At BE 26, Shaktipada Mondal said he had been running a food shop for 12 years. Next to him, Kanai Kundu runs another eatery. “The ward office allowed us to set up the shops so that the plots were kept clean. I have to attend party meetings and pay ‘fees’ to political workers during party events. If I am forced to move out, I don’t know how I will feed my children,” said Mondal.
BMC officials said they were carrying out surveys and action would be taken after a report was submitted. Urban development and municipal affairs department officials said they were granted approval to erect fences around four vacant plots in IA, IB, FF, and JC blocks to keep encroachers at bay. The department has allocated Rs 9.9 lakh for this project. “The department wants to ensure no vacant plot in Salt Lake is encroached on,” said an official.