Heaps of garbage have been lying along the footpath of Southern Avenue, one of Kolkata’s last remaining green spaces, for days, residents and others have said.
As if the garbage is not enough, mounds of earth on the footpath, leftover of work to lay underground water pipes, have made walking through one of Kolkata’s leafy neighbourhoods difficult.
The road was among the very few tree-lined, clean stretches of Kolkata. In recent months, some portions of the footpath, especially along the Rabindra Sarobar compound, have been encroached on.
“Many people have complained about the garbage lying along the footpath. Ever since work to lay underground pipes started, waste has been dumped on the footpath,” said Sumita Banerjee, a resident of the area.
The Telegraph visited the stretch on Tuesday afternoon. Discarded commodes, burnt waste, sacks loaded with plastic items and fallen leaves occupy a stretch of the footpath between Vivekananda Park and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture.
A compactor station of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), where waste collected from neighbourhoods every day is taken, is only a few metres from the site where the discarded commodes and other waste have been lying for days.
The demarcated spaces meant for shrubs and small trees on the footpath have been destroyed in some places.
“I have been living on Southern Avenue for 40 years but I have never seen waste accumulate along the road. This road is one of the few places of pride for us Kolkatans. One can simply take a walk any time of the day. But the garbage is ruining the experience,” said a resident.
Chaitali Chattopadhyay, chairperson of Borough VIII of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, which covers Southern Avenue, said work to lay underground water lines was going on along the artery. The work ended recently and restoration will begin soon, she said.
“Restoration can start only a few days after work ends. This is done to allow the soil to settle. Restoration (along Southern Avenue) will start soon,” said Chattopadhyay, councillor of Ward 90.
She said she was not aware of garbage lying accumulated on the footpath. “I have already told personnel from the solid waste management department of the KMC to clean the stretch,” she said on Wednesday evening.
