Kolkata submerged after rains
Kolkatans had their first taste of waterlogging this monsoon when a number of city roads were submerged following a 90-minute downpour on Monday morning. From south to north, streets after streets remained waterlogged even hours after the rains stopped. “This was the first test of the Trinamul Congress-controlled new civic board at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Sadly it failed in it,” said Tarun Sarkar, a shopkeeper in Hazra.
The schoolchildren and officegoers were worst affected. Not just areas like Mominpur, Tiljala and Topsia but even upscale neighbourhoods, like Ballygunge and Camac Street were waterlogged. Kalighat, Hazra, Deshapriya Park, Rashbehari Avenue, Landsdowne Road were among the worst affected areas.
Leader of the Opposition in Kolkata Municipal Corporation Rupa Bagchi alleged that waterlogging occurred because new mayor Sovan Chatterjee had abruptly stopped the drainage and sewerage work under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme.
Rejecting the charge, the mayor said that all pumping stations had been pressed into service to drain out the water from the streets. “We are on our toes and are working hard to prevent water-logging which is a legacy of the previous Left Front board,” Mr Chatterjee said.
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