Jyotinagar in Kashipur, Kolkata, faces a prolonged water crisis as residents of the Muslim-majority colony allege bias, while KMC cites technical problems.
Qalam Times News Network
KOLKATA | August 29, 2026
Jyotinagar, a Muslim-majority colony in Kashipur, Cossipore, Kolkata, has been at the centre of a growing controversy over access to drinking water, with residents alleging that their public water supply was deliberately disrupted. Families in the locality say they have been struggling for weeks to obtain clean water, while the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has denied that the main water line was intentionally disconnected and said technical problems may be responsible.
The Jyotinagar Muslim-majority area, situated in Ward 6 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, is home to several thousand people, most of them from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Residents say the crisis began towards the end of July, when water stopped reaching five public taps used by people across the colony. The shortage has forced residents to walk to distant water points, collect rainwater and, in some cases, use water from the nearby Ganga for bathing and other household needs.
The water crisis in Jyotinagar Colony, Kashipur, has reportedly affected children, elderly residents and families who depend on public taps for their everyday water needs.
Residents said they have repeatedly approached the local civic authorities and police, but a permanent solution has not yet been found. With the public taps remaining dry, women, elderly people and children have been seen carrying buckets and containers to neighbouring areas in search of water.
Some residents said they have been forced to use the Ganga because they have no other immediate option for bathing. They expressed concern that children who cannot swim are also being taken to the river, raising fears of accidents and drowning.
The shortage has also created concerns about hygiene and health. Residents said dirty water and the absence of regular drinking-water supplies have made daily life particularly difficult for vulnerable people.
Taslima Bibi, a resident of the Jyotinagar Muslim-majority colony, said the water shortage had become the biggest problem facing the locality. According to her, a water tanker was sent by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation after residents initially complained, but regular tanker services did not continue.
Another resident, Tahmina Bibi, said both water and street lighting had become major concerns. She alleged that children were facing difficulties travelling to school because parts of the area remained dark.
Pinkie Bibi claimed that two people arrived at around 11:30 pm on July 29 and disconnected the water line. She said residents had since been compelled to collect water from neighbouring localities and were facing criticism while doing so.
The residents’ accounts form the basis of the allegations and have not independently established who disconnected the water supply.
Jyotinagar : Communal angle intensifies political controversy
The situation in Kashipur’s Jyotinagar area has acquired a communal and political dimension because the colony is predominantly Muslim.
Residents have alleged that their locality was singled out because of its Muslim population. They also claimed that water continued to be available in Hindu-majority areas located along the same main road.
Jyotinagar is locally known as Molla Para because of its predominantly Muslim population. However, Hindu families also live in the colony, and residents have said that people from both communities have historically shared the area’s social and economic difficulties.
According to residents, KMC workers arrived on July 27 to repair a water pipeline. They said the repair work was completed two days later, but the water supply was allegedly stopped at around 11:30 pm on July 29.
Residents have linked the timing of the alleged disconnection to the wider political controversy surrounding local BJP MLA Ritesh Tiwari.
A video circulated widely on social media has reportedly drawn attention to remarks attributed to Tiwari in which he was heard saying that he would not undertake work for minority residents who had not supported him.
Residents have cited those remarks while alleging that the water crisis may be politically motivated. However, the connection between the remarks and the water disruption has not been independently established.
BJP MLA raises illegal settlement allegation of Jyotinagar
Ritesh Tiwari has presented a different explanation for the situation in Jyotinagar, Kashipur.
Speaking to the media, the BJP MLA questioned who was living in the area and where they had come from. He alleged that people had been living there illegally for a long time and claimed that the land belonged to the Kolkata Port.
Tiwari also said that the Port had been involved in legal proceedings seeking to clear the area and that the administration wanted the land vacated. He further alleged that the residents were illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and claimed that some had obtained fake documents.
These are allegations made by the MLA and are not established facts in the material available for this report.
The land dispute has added another dimension to the difficulties faced by residents of the Muslim-majority Jyotinagar Colony. Local residents and political groups have expressed fears that essential services could be affected amid possible efforts to clear the settlement.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has disputed the allegation that the drinking-water supply in Jyotinagar, Kashipur was intentionally disconnected.
According to the civic body’s explanation cited in reports, two roadside taps were facing problems. Officials also suggested that there could be an issue involving the ferrule connection. The KMC maintained that the main water pipeline had not been cut and described the allegation of a deliberate disconnection as unfounded.
A KMC official said the corporation would examine the situation and determine why water was not reaching the affected taps. The official also indicated that appropriate action would be taken if the investigation found that a service problem had occurred.
The conflicting versions have left residents demanding a clear explanation and a permanent restoration of the public water supply.
As the shortage continued in the Jyotinagar Muslim-majority area, the Pashchimbanga Basti Unnayan Samiti, associated with the CPI(M), reportedly stepped in to arrange water tankers for residents.
The organisation has been supplying water every few days, but local residents and political workers say the quantity remains inadequate for a colony with several thousand inhabitants.
CPI(M) local branch secretary Alamgir Biswas said authorities had been informed about the problem and that complaints had been made to both the police and the municipal corporation.
The organisation also became involved in efforts to restore street lighting in the locality. According to the report, streetlights were restored on August 26 after residents had complained about prolonged darkness.
The shortage of street lighting had added to concerns about road safety, particularly because the colony lies close to the Ganga and heavy vehicles, including trucks and lorries, regularly use roads in the area.
The water controversy has emerged alongside concerns about possible eviction from the Jyotinagar Colony in Kashipur.
The Pashchimbanga Basti Unnayan Samiti has reportedly approached the court over the eviction issue. CPI(M) leader Shamim Ahmad, who is pursuing the matter, said a stay order had been obtained against eviction.
Residents say that despite the legal developments, uncertainty over their future remains.
The locality has existed for decades and includes both Muslim and Hindu families. Many residents work in low-paid occupations, including construction work, transport-related jobs and collecting or processing discarded bottles.
For these families, the water shortage has therefore become more than a temporary civic inconvenience. It has affected cooking, bathing, children’s education, religious activities and basic household hygiene.
Residents have also alleged that the local Ward 6 councillor, Suman Singh of the Trinamool Congress, has remained inaccessible during the crisis. The allegations have further intensified political criticism surrounding the issue.
Despite the political accusations surrounding Jyotinagar, Kashipur, the immediate concern for residents remains access to safe and reliable drinking water.
On one side, residents and local political organisations allege discrimination and deliberate deprivation. On the other, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation says there has been no deliberate disconnection of the main water line and points towards technical problems.
The allegations concerning illegal immigration, land occupation and possible communal discrimination also remain contested and require independent verification.
For the families living in this Muslim-majority Kolkata colony, however, the demand is straightforward: restore the public water supply and provide a lasting solution.
Until the authorities establish the exact cause of the disruption and restore regular access to clean water, the Jyotinagar water crisis is likely to remain a major civic and political issue in Kashipur.
