A waterbody in the bheri area of East Kolkata Wetlands
The workers said the road over the canal embankment was their only access to Ashok Ghosher Bheri and several adjoining bheris. The workers said they have since been cultivating fishes in the pond. Villagers from Kantatala, Makaltala, Kankuria and Hanripota, many of whom work in these fish farms, alleged that the embankment has been taken over and the passage has been shut.
Sources said the pathway had been blocked recently over a dispute between the owner of the company and that of the bheri over the latter’s attempt to lease the bheri to a third party. The workers said the police had asked them to prove that they were workers of the bheri but did not explain how a canal embankment can be taken over or blocked. Workers said blocking access to these bheris would threaten both livelihoods and the ecological function of the wetlands.
The villagers alleged that the move appears to be an attempt to stop them from farming fish and may be part of a larger plan to sell the bheris and change the character of the land.