Shortcomings in civic services have begun to surface amid allegations by Trinamool councillors that their influence over the functioning of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has waned following the party’s drubbing in the Assembly elections. The results were declared on May 4
Several trees uprooted during Friday’s Nor’wester remained on roads and pavements across parts of the city on Sunday. A visit to different neighbourhoods revealed fallen branches and partially cut tree trunks still strewn across roadsides and footpaths in areas such as New Alipore, Tollygunge and the Maidan.
A Trinamool councillor alleged that KMC engineers were no longer responding promptly to their requests.
“It appears that many engineers now feel our influence has waned since we are no longer in power. They still take our calls and assure us that issues will be addressed, but the response is no longer as prompt as it was even a month ago,” said a councillor from south Calcutta.
A councillor in north Calcutta echoed a similar sentiment. “Some road repair jobs are pending in the Baithakkhana area. The work order was issued before the
elections, but the funds are now stuck. The repairs have not started,” said the councillor.
Metro visited several parts of the city on Sunday and found tree branches lying on roads and pavements.
Broken branches of a tree were hanging on Alipore Road.
At Nalini Ranjan Avenue, branches of a tree were hanging overhead, blocking a portion of the road. The two-lane road had been reduced to one lane. Tree branches blocked the pavement on a portion of the Durgapur bridge.
A stretch of an entire pavement was blocked by broken and hanging tree branches along Dufferin Road.
Sixty-five trees or large branches were brought down by Friday’s Nor’wester, during which wind speeds touched 88kmph. Sources in the KMC said nearly 40 trees were uprooted in the storm.
“Branches are still lying on roads and pavements in my ward. I informed KMC engineers, but they are yet to be removed,” said a south Calcutta councillor.
Another councillor alleged that a project to replace sewer lines along stretches of Amherst Street and Hidaram Banerjee Lane in Bowbazar has been stalled because funds for the work have remained pending for weeks. “Earlier, such issues could be raised at borough meetings convened by the borough chairperson, where borough engineers and even chief engineers from some departments would be present. But no borough meeting has been held since the elections. We no longer have a forum where we can place our problems,” the councillor said.
An uprooted tree blocks Nalini Ranjan Avenue
A resident of a kuccha house in Kasba said a large tree fell on his house on Friday. It was removed by Saturday evening. “The KMC men chopped the tree trunk into smaller
pieces. The branches were stacked on the road. A KMC team came to see the stacked branches on Sunday morning, but did not remove them,” said the man.
A KMC official said engineers were responding to issues raised by councillors.
“The problem is that most are not raising any issues any longer. We are addressing issues raised by councillors who are still active and talking to us,” he said.
“The number of trees that fell is far more than what we recorded on the day of the storm. The task to remove them was massive. Besides, we did not receive information about every location where branches had fallen. We have responded to all cases that were reported to us,” the official added.