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(Left) Overflowing vats opposite Santragachhi Kedarnath Institution and (top) at Ramcharan Sett Road. Pictures by Gopal Senapati |
The Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) has built a number of vats within the civic area of Howrah but conservancy staff often fail to clear the garbage from these vats leading to chaos on the roads. In Ramrajatala, one of the busy areas of Howrah town, garbage is allowed to accumulate in the vats that spill on to the roads. All the three roads in Ramrajatala, Mahendra Bhattacharjee Road, Sastri Narendranath Ganguli Road and Ramcharan Sett Road handle a huge volume of traffic and garbage overflowing and spilling on to these roads mean a major clog in the area.
The road leading to Santragachhi More from Drainage Canal Road is Mahendra Bhattacharjee Road. From Santragachhi More, the road to the left is Sastri Narendranath Ganguli Road and the one to the right is Ramcharan Sett Road. Open vats are found on all three roads. Since the volume of garbage is huge and the vats occupy one-third of the roads during busy office hours, traffic jams are common here.
“Most of the traffic jam takes place when vehicles coming from Drainage Canal Road towards Ramrajatala and Sastri Narendranath Ganguli Road meet near the open vat and try to pass the spot. Sometimes it takes 10 to 15 minutes to cross the area. There is utter chaos also when the civic conservancy team clears the garbage using pay loaders, blocking the road. We have repeatedly complained to the local councillor but she has done nothing,” said Swapan Banerjee, a local resident.
Another open vat can be found on Sastri Narendranath Ganguli Road, opposite Santragachhi Kedarnath Institution. There are at least two nursing homes and a clinic located in the area. Hundreds of people visit this place for various purposes and they have to cover their face while passing the spot. The stench intensifies when garbage is cleared. “Everything, even carcasses, are dumped on this open vat. Naturally, the stench becomes unbearable,” said Sachin Roy, a retired employee of a private firm. Often garbage spills over on the road and remains there until the conservancy staff comes and clears it. The movement of buses and cars is also hampered, particularly during busy office hours. Often vehicles come to a halt when utter chaos reigns as cars and buses from both sides of the two-way traffic try to reach the other side at the same time.
Another open roadside vat is on Ramcharan Sett Road, right at the market place. Though movement of vehicles is not hampered, the garbage dump causes inconvenience to the people of the area. The problem intensifies as garbage is not cleared regularly. Sometimes, the garbage dump is so huge that pedestrians have little space to walk when buses from both sides come face to face and try to reach the other side. “HMC promised to clear garbage within 24 hours in the citizen’s charter. But it is a false promise,” said Arnab Bhattacharjee, owner of a studio.
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