KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) may have amended an act empowering itself against allowing stagnant water at construction sites, members of a Rapid Action Force (RAF) of the KMC health department conducting regular drives to different dengue-prone areas are finding it an uphill task to take on a section of real estate promoters who have been defying a civic order showing little interest to clean stagnant water from the construction sites.This was evident during several raids that the KMC conducted in July across the city. According to a KMC health department official, the picture of neglect has been the same from north to south and south-eastern parts of Kolkata. As an example, the official pointed about a construction site at Narkeldanga North Road where the civic body’s RAF had served a notice 15 days ago asking the promoter to clean the clean, stagnant water which could become a breeding ground for dengue mosquito and become a threat to the thickly populated area.“To our surprise we found last week that no initiatives have been taken to drain out the stagnant water. We contacted the promoter over the phone and pasted a second notice at the site. If no steps are taken, we may be forced to move municipal court seeking imposition of heavy penalty against the promoter concerned,” said the civic health official. Similarly, the KMC health department RAF team found stagnant water at construction sites in areas such as Golf Green, Bijoygarh, Layelka, Bansdroni—Netajinagar , Garia, Jadavpur, and areas off EM Bypass. Dengue threatened to become an epidemic in these areas last year as the dreaded disease claimed as many as 10 lives from these areas.A survey by the TOI on Saturday in some of the dengue-prone areas off EM Bypass revealed a picture of apathy at construction sites. Clean, stagnant water was seen accumulating freely at Shahihnagar and large areas near Santoshpur stadium which is undergoing a reconstruction process. Accumulated water was seen inside three under-construction residential buildings.Asked about the storage of water, the masons working at these sites claimed that they did not know about any rules which are mandatory for cleaning up stagnant water and would inform the matter to the promoters concerned.Mritunjay Chakraborty, a CPM councilor of Netajinagar area complained about a civic inaction in proper surveillance of the under-construction sites. According to Chakraborty, taking a lesson from last year’s experience, the civic RAF team should have zeroed-in on the construction sites before onset of monsoon.A KMC health department official conceded that it was really an uphill task for the civic health workers to take on influential promoters without help from sleuths. “We want an active role from the sleuths in curbing the menace and take on influential promoters,” said a KMC health department official.Issue a notice asking a promoter or owner of a residential or commercial building asking them to clear stagnant water from construction sitesIf the person concerned fails to obey the order, the KMC may move to municipal courtAccording to an amended act, the KMC now can levy a maximum fine of Rs 1 lakh for non-compliance.

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