KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has taken several precautions to prevent waterlogging during the puja days.
The civic brass has alerted executive engineers manning the drainage pumping stations and asked them to keep all heavy-duty pumps ready to flush out storm water from city's major thoroughfares as fast as they can in the event of a heavy shower during the festive days.
"We have asked our officials supervising the drainage pumping stations to be alert on all four days beginning from Shashthi. They need to keep all heavy-duty pumps functional at the major drainage pumping stations so that the pandal-hoppers get a chance to visit the city's famous pujas," said a KMC drainage department official. The drainage department is also mulling the option of keeping portable pumps ready for the city's low-lying areas and neighbourhoods that have no underground drainage network.
Besides engaging the manpower at the civic drainage pumping stations, a combined civic team with officials from the drainage, buildings, parks and gardens, health, solid waste management, lighting and engineering departments will be on round-the-clock duty at the headquarters from Shashthi onwards, said a civic official.
According to a drainage department official, there will be focus on the city's waterlogging-prone areas that include Thanthania, Amherst Street, APC Roy Road, Burrabazar, Bowbazar, Bhowanipore, Harish Mukherjee Road, Kalighat, Alipore, New Alipore, Behala, Gariahat, Jodhpur Park and Tollygunge. In addition, arrangements are being made to give relief to residents staying in areas located off Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Garden Reach, Kidderpore in the event of heavy showers.
The KMC buildings department will engage a team of engineers at the headquarters that will keep a special watch on the insecure buildings. "Our focus on the insecure buildings will be concentrated on specific boroughs where these buildings are located. Besides, Dum Dum-Cossipore belt, Burrabazar, Jorasanko-Jorabagan, College Street-Bowbazar, Taltala, Ripon Street, Park Circus, Bhowanipore-Hazra, Lake Market will be kept on our radar," said a KMC buildings department official.
Besides keeping a watch over the city's insecure buildings, the buildings department will also need to act against construction of illegal buildings during the festive days.
The combined civic team will also need to keep a focus on the immersion ghats and take adequate security measures along with the cops from Lalbazar. The KMC health department team will continue with the vector control activities, especially in areas which are known as dengue-prone.