In addition to this, the desiltation project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Scheme and upgradation of drain and sewage system under the Kolkata Environmental Improvement Project are still far from completion.
As part of the Rs 120 crore project, the civic body had set aside Rs 44 crore for installing auto cleaners at the pumping stations but it was later scrapped after some of the them became defunct in last year’s heavy downpour.
Of the eight auto cleaners that were procured, only one which is installed in Manicktala pumping station is at present functional.
The function of the cleaner is to remove the plastic waste from the drains. Contrary to the manual cleaning process, this highly modern method of screening enables proper drainage of rainwater by segregating the non-biodegradable waste products.
The auto cleaners were installed in four drainage pumping stations — Ultadanga, Dhapa Lock
Gate, Mominpur and Manicktala. But except for the Manicktala pumping station, the cleaners at the other three stations are either kept in abeyance or not working properly.
Many councilors have claimed that no night-desiltaion work was carried out in their wards.
“The civic body has not yet carried out desiltation work in my borough. Several drains in my borough, including the drains along CGR Road, Pearimohan Road and Chetla Central Road are completely clogged. Even mild showers lead to water-logging in the area,” said Firhad Hakim, Chairman of borough 10.
Similarly, Javed Ahmed Khan, leader of the Opposition at KMC, alleged that no night-desilation work was carried out and it has been stopped by the civic body.
But the KMC’s drainage department claims that tonnes of silt have been removed from the drains and sewers of the city. The engineers of the department, however, remained tight-lipped when asked to about the site where the silt has been dumped.
Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, meanwhile, claimed that two phases of Project Nikashi are almost complete and there will not be much water-logging this year. Significantly, the engineers of drainage department have a different view over this. “If there is more then 120 mm shower, the city will sink badly as there are lots of projects still incomplete,” said a civic engineer.