Kolkata: Several hundred families in a minority-majority colony in West Bengal’s Kolkata have been living without water for nearly a month, with residents alleging links to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ritesh Tiwari, who said he would not work for minorities.
Located in Ward 6 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Jyotinagar Colony falls under the Cossipore region and houses about 5,000 residents, most of them Muslims. Due to the Muslim population, the neighbourhood is locally called Molla Para, with a small number of Hindu families residing there as well.
Resident Jahanara Bibi said the lack of water has forced locals to go to the River Ganga for daily use, even if it means risking their lives. “Little kids are also going to the ghat to wash their faces. Many children have fallen in, some have narrowly escaped drowning,” she said, adding that those who don’t know how to swim are also forced to bathe in the river.
Many residents of the colony earn their livelihood by working as construction labourers or in bottle-melting places for menial wages, Maktoob Media reported.
Saraswati Biswas, who has lived in Jyotinagar Colony for 60 years, said both Hindu and Muslim communities have shared struggles over the years, but this crisis was new.
Water supply disconnected following KMC repairs
Molla Para residents said KMC workers arrived to repair the water pipeline on July 27, and on July 29, when the repairs finished, the water supply was suddenly disconnected at around 11:30 pm.
Locals claimed the water supply in Hindu-majority areas along the same main road continued to function without a hitch. Meanwhile, their neighbourhood’s water and even electricity were cut off the following day.
“We have gone to multiple officials, including the municipal corporation, and submitted written complaints, but they tell us to go and that they will arrange water in four to five days,” a resident told local media.
The resident said he was forced to close the wudu taps at the local Jama Masjid, where the water supply was also cut off. “We have to make wudu in the dirty water or go very far,” he said.
‘What crime did we commit?’
The Jyotinagar local said the entire community lives in fear as the children who go to the ghats to bathe are being washed away. “There is no certainty that our children will be safe. We are in a lot of difficulty.”
He alleged that the local authorities are of no help, and urged them to stop the torture. “Just don’t torture us because we are a minority. What crime have we committed that our water is closed?” the resident said, adding that they have nowhere to go as they were born and raised in the locality. “We have no choice but to commit suicide,” he said.
A woman resident said parents have stopped sending their children to schools over safety and health concerns. “Will the government take responsibility for this?” she asked.
Residents link crisis to BJP government
Another resident alleged that the BJP government deliberately turned off the water supply in the neighbourhood, recalling MLA Ritesh Tiwari’s bold claims after he won the seat in Kashipur-Belgachia constituency.
In a viral video, Tiwari had said that he would not work for the minorities who did not vote for him. “Ek kaam unke nahi karunga aane walein panch saal mein (I will not do any work for them in the upcoming five years).”
The resident questioned if such statements could be made in “the secular country of India.” Others claimed that rumours and threats of an eviction drive were further breeding fear in the neighbourhood. Local BJP workers have allegedly been threatening the residents with eviction, locals said.
Residents say CPI(M) tried arranging drinking water every other day
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Pashchimbanga Basti Unnayan Samiti, an organisation representing slum dwellers, have been trying to arrange drinking water for the locality via the KMC every three or four days, residents said.
Alamgir Biswas, CPI(M) local branch secretary, said, “We are booking KMC water by paying Rs 700. But one tank of water, with a gap of three to four days, is not sufficient for 5,000 people.”
He criticised the lack of action by authorities despite being informed nearly a month ago. “The police have been informed, and a deputation has been submitted to the corporation. It has been almost a month now.”
Biswas said CPI(M) on Wednesday, August 26, worked to restore electricity to the streetlights in the colony.
Residents also said Ward 6 councillor Suman Singh from Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been unavailable, with some locals alleging she fled after the election results.
Pashchimbanga Basti Unnayan Samiti approached the court to protect Jyotinagar Colony from eviction. Shamim Ahmad of CPI(M), who is fighting the case, said a stay order was secured against the eviction. The water supply, however, remains disconnected.
