Foara dutta, RSP councillor of Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s ward number 40, met readers of The Telegraph and answered their queries. Participants included Saptarsi Ghosh, Chirantan Dawn, Sandeep Banerjee, Jitendranath Das, Kiran Laha, Asim Swarnakar, Sabita Datta, Paresh Halder and Bijoy Bose

Saptarsi Ghosh: Agencies like CESC and Calcutta Telephones often dig up streets, lanes and bylanes for laying cables. But restoration work is not taken up seriously. For instance, Raja Lane has not been repaired for months after being dug up. I think the agencies should repair the roads as soon as they are through with their work. What is your opinion? Are you looking into this matter?

I would like to point out that a road is restored immediately after it is dug up. After digging up a road, the surface turns undulated owing to the loose sub-soil. Hence, after excavation, the ditches are generally filled up and left to settle down by themselves. Then, after a few months, the surface is dressed and coated with bitumen.

Agencies like Calcutta Telephones or CESC usually deposit charges for restoration before they take up a project. But some times, in case of an emergency, they pay Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) to carry out the restoration work.

However, I am not ruling out that the restoration work is not neglected or delayed. I am looking into the matter with the civic body.

Chirantan Dawn: You have commissioned a pay-and-use toilet on the pavement of Mahatma Gandhi Road near College Street. Why have you done this all of a sudden?

There was an open public toilet on the spot. Inadequate drainage and water facilities had turned the area into an eyesore.

This was my first successful project involving a large CMC fund of Rs 4.5 lakh. The local residents had approached me a lot of times. They wanted a permanent solution to the unbearable stench in that particular area. The toilet has given the area a clean look. It has separate facilities for men and women. People can even take a bath.

Chirantan Dawn: There is a six-cottah plot in Beniatola Lane, which was once a children’s playground. Down the years, a local decorator has gradually grabbed the land and is using it as his godown and workplace. Children in the locality don’t have a place to play or hold functions like Saraswati puja or Rabindra Jayanti. Can you help us in evicting the decorator and building a park on the plot?

The land is not owned by the CMC. It belongs to paper merchants Bholanath Dutta and Raghunath Dutta. I had spoken to the decorator. He told me that the Duttas had rented out the plot.

But strangely, the Duttas denied letting out the land to him. I request you to submit a mass petition to the mayor. I would also request the CMC to intervene and talk to the Duttas. The plot can be converted into a beautiful children’s park.

Kiran Laha: There is not a single community hall in the area. This area one of the most densely-populated zones in Calcutta and we need a community hall to hold social functions. Please help.

I am ready to build a community hall and the CMC has already agreed to lend us money. But there is no vacant land in the locality.

However, there are several buildings in a dilapidated state. I have taken up the matter with the civic authorities and we are exploring the possibility of constructing a community hall by reconstructing one such building.

If the proposal suits the CMC as well as the owner of the building, the community hall will be constructed safeguarding the interests of the tenants as well as the building-owner.

Asim Swarnakar: The sweepers and cleaners employed by the civic body are not regular on holidays and weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, the streets and lanes resemble a dumping ground. Roads are littered with garbage and excreta of stray animals. Please take some steps to ensure cleanliness in the area on weekends.

I have already lodged a similar complaint in our borough office. We are planning to introduce a rotation duty schedule for the sweepers to ensure regular cleaning of roads. But it is true that on most days, they are not regular and we need to address this problem.

I would like to mention that many families litter the roads by throwing garbage. Roads like Patuatola Lane and Sitaram Ghose Street look like a garbage vat. The local residents should keep their surroundings clean, as they play a vital role in the upkeep of the area.

To be concluded