Sharadwat Mukherjee, the BJP’s newly elected MLA from Bidhannagar, wants to upgrade Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Hospital into a medical college.
The oncologist also wants a roadmap to overhaul roads in Salt Lake and improve public health conditions in the township’s added areas, he told Metro.
Mukherjee, who defeated Trinamool Congress’s Sujit Bose by more than 37,000 votes in the Assembly elections, said he has no time to pause.
“I am meeting voters to thank them for their support. I am also trying to find out from them what needs to be done,” said Mukherjee. At the same time, he continues to see
patients.
Public health
“I will share my ideas with the government,” Mukherjee said.
“I will propose the conversion of the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Hospital into a medical college,” Mukherjee told this newspaper.
The government-run hospital now has around 100 beds.
Mukherjee also plans to set up a nursing college in the added areas of Salt Lake. “There is a huge shortage of nurses. So, I want to set up a nursing training college at Prantik Bidhannagar (added area),” he said.
“The state of public health is very poor in parts of the added areas. The water bodies are filthy and have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The earlier government did not implement the Swachh Bharat Mission. That has to be done,” he said.
The supply of drinking water in the added areas is also on the priority list. “I have seen that they have to drink bottled water now because of the lack of potable water,” he said.
Poor state of roads
VIP Road, which skirts the constituency, is maintained by the public works department (PWD). The arterial roads in Salt Lake are under the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), while the lanes and bylanes of the township are maintained by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.
“The condition of VIP Road and the major arterial roads in Salt Lake is still acceptable. But the condition of the lanes and bylanes is pathetic,” said Sharadwat Mukherjee.
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation is run by a Trinamool board, which, he said, makes matters more complicated. “I will have to speak to the urban development department and PWD on how to go about it. It’s a tricky situation. We will have to prepare a blueprint for road repairs,” Mukherjee said.
A Trinamool leader from Salt Lake, who requested anonymity, said one of the main reasons behind the poor condition of the roads was the civic body’s financial distress.
“The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has a loan burden of ₹350 crore. Contractors are not being paid, so there are no takers for tenders floated for road repairs,” the leader said.
Illegal constructions
Allegations of illegal construction of buildings and hoardings in Salt Lake have been rampant.
Sabyasachi Dutta, chairman of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and a Trinamool leader, said he had moved Calcutta High Court against illegal constructions in Salt Lake.
“The case was filed in 2020 and is still pending before the chief justice’s court,” said Dutta.
“As chairman of the BMC, I have received around 65 complaints regarding illegal constructions since February 2022. I forwarded all the complaints to the mayor, the commissioner and the executive engineer (building plan),” he said.
According to Dutta, notices were pasted on some of the buildings, but no further action was taken.
Mayor reacts
Krishna Chakraborty, mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, said she would “seek advice” from BJP MLA Sharadwat Mukherjee on road repairs.
“We were elected by the people and are doing our work. The condition of some roads is poor, but repairs are underway. Work on many roads has already been completed, while repairs are continuing on several others,” said Chakraborty.
“Mukherjee has been elected by the people, and it is also his responsibility as MLA to improve conditions. We will seek his advice. I will also seek directions from him,” the Bidhannagar mayor said.