Alerting for yrs about EKW encroachments, say greens
Times of India | 29 January 2026
Kolkata: Over 66 hours after the fire engulfed two godowns in Karimpur mouza of East Kolkata Wetlands, other illegal units — from auto-repair shops, plastic recycling units and studios where tele serials are shot — continued to function with impunity in the Ramsar site.
Hundreds of warehouses, which have mushroomed across EKW, operate with little or no fire-fighting measures. "Other than a few branded auto workshops, most facilities do not have smoke detectors, fire alarms or sprinklers to combat a fire," said a fire officer.
One of the most serious risks is workers staying in warehouse sheds at night, similar to what led to the mounting casualty in the inferno. "As most workers are from other districts and states, they stay inside the sheds at night, where they cook, increasing the risk of fire," said a fire officer.
Officials said the absence of emergency exits worsened the situation. Many warehouses do not have exits at all, while those that do have, the exits are usually kept locked and opened only when trucks arrive.
Environment action groups, including PUBLIC—its PIL led to Justice Umesh Chandra Banerjee's judgment that led to the protection of EKW—repeatedly flagged the rampant illegal constructions of warehouses, godowns and factories at the internationally recognised Ramsar site to both the environment department and the EKW management authority (EKWMA), especially over the past four years, with the encroachment gaining pace after the pandemic.
"Letters, emails, messages from PUBLIC go back to 2018 and include the chief secretary, the chief technical officer of EKWMA and even to the South 24 Parganas DM, who expressed intentions to take action against encroachment. The lack of effective action is illustrated by the unabated encroachments," said Kakkar. She said while one earlier had to enter the wetlands to spot encroachments, now, blue and white sheds are visible all along Basanti Highway.
In a survey three years ago , Green action group SCOPE identified 620-odd illegal units in the wetlands. "We announced the findings. But there appears to be no action. Instead, the number continued to grow," said SCOPE project director Dhruba Das Gupta. Environmentalists say action is taken only when the court issues an order. Even EKWMA officials admitted that 500-plus FIRs were meaningless.
"The question is that of liability. Someone has be held accountable. Who is that someone?" said Pradeep Kakkar, co-founder of PUBLIC.