Kestopur to get a drainage pumping station soon

Close on the heels of  the foundation of a stormwater drainage pumping station being laid near City Centre II, close to Chinar Park, on December 3, the construction of another pumping station was announced, this time in Kestopur. It will drain out water at the rate of 200 cubic ft per second.

The foundation stone for the construction of the Cantonment pump house was laid in Harichand Pally, Kestopur, within Ward 17 of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC), on December 21.

The pumphouse will be built on the Cantonment Canal along with a sluice gate with six vents.

“The canal has several drains within a radius of 18sq km draining into it. The Cantonment Canal drains out to the Bagjola Canal, which in turn empties in Bidyadhari river. That way, if there is a backflow, the water of the Bagjola Canal comes this side, inundating areas under the BMC, the South Dum Dum Municipality and the Dum Dum Municipality,” Soumen Mahapatra, minister in charge of irrigation and waterways, told The Telegraph Salt Lake.

The land, though owned by the irrigation department, was encroached upon by 16 families, which have been rehabilitated.

“Work has already started. The project deadline is a year from now but I plan to complete by monsoon so that people of the area are relieved of waterlogging problems,” said the minister. The project cost is pegged at Rs 18.77 crore.

In another development, budget has been alotted and work order issued for the desiltation of Bagjola and Kestopur canals, he said.

“A combined survey is being undertaken by us along with the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, the CMDA, the urban development  department, the BMC and the local municipalities till Kamarhati to solve the city’s drainage problems,” he added.

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