Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation's drainage department has decided to keep portable pumps ready to provide citizens relief from inundation during the monsoon season. This arrangement will be necessary especially in the city's low-lying areas and in neighborhoods where a drainage upgrade project is currently underway. The decision was made at a pre-monsoon meeting held in Behala on Friday.
Meeting Highlights and Areas of Concern
The meeting, attended by MLAs representing Behala, Tollygunge, Jadavpur, and Metiabruz, along with senior KMC officials, took note of the drainage upgrade work in Behala's Shakuntala Park and the Anwar Shah Road connector. A KMC official stated, "We have reasons to feel worried for residents of both Shakuntala Park in Behala, where a drainage upgrade work under KEIIP is underway, and for residents staying around the Anwar Shah Road connector, where the construction of a drainage pumping station has temporarily choked portions of an outfall canal. We will need to keep portable pumps ready to flush out storm water."
Impact on Jadavpur and Jodhpur Park
The blockage of the canal is also expected to severely affect residents of large parts of Jadavpur and Jodhpur Park. Another KMC official said, "We will need to keep all heavy-duty pumps at Ballygunge and Jodhpur Park drainage pumping stations ready to combat severe waterlogging in areas like Ballygunge, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, among other areas, in the event of a downpour."
Proactive Role for Borough Officials
The KMC leadership has instructed the civic body's borough officials to take a proactive role in the upcoming rainy season. A KMC drainage department official explained, "After dissolution of the civic board, we have been asked to activate the borough civic officials to take note of the citizens' grievances and take action without delay. During the rainy season, the KMC borough offices will need to play an active role, and coordinated action is needed to offer relief to the citizens who stay in waterlogging-prone areas."
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