KMC gears up for monsoons, holds meeting with stakeholders
With the forecast of a bountiful monsoon this year, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation held a high-level meeting with various stakeholders on preparedness for the upcoming rainy season.
Protection of the heritage structure of Pareshnath Jain Temple from inundation during the ongoing monsoon has become a litmus test for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
After monitoring the situation this rainy season at the temple, the civic body is to decide on further steps to be taken to prevent water logging inside the premises.
The civic body recently carried out an intensive de-silting drive in the area. Not to take any chance, the corporation conducted desilting of drains around the temple for over a month using its own labourers and machinery instead of hiring contractual manpower. Senior officials of the drainage wing have also been conducting inspections to take a note of the situation.
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An official of the civic body said, “We are seeing this as a test and observe if the water logging issue in the temple premises still persists. We would monitor the situation and see if the inundation continues with the present infrastructure. If the water logging continues, we have a plan B in mind. We have had a talk with the authorities of Pareshnath Temple and they have agreed to let us have some space for setting up a pumping station there.”
According to the official sources, even if the construction of the pumping station is completed, challenges in disposal of the waste water in that area will remain. There is only one option of draining the water in the area is in the Beleghata Canal. But the KMC would have to overcome a hurdle for reaching up to the canal.
“For draining the water in Beleghata Canal, the alignment would have to cross railway tracks near R G Kar Bridge. For taking the drainage line till the canal, permissions from the Railways would be needed,” reiterated the source.
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