Mugged in Milan

Sir — Ruchir Joshi’s narrative about his drive to Milan reminded me of my own visit to the city in the early 1990s (“On the way to Milan”, Aug 11). The elegant shops and cafes in Milan’s Galleria are a treat. Then there is the Milan Cathedral and there are the famous street musicians. The flipside is the nuisance of pickpockets. I remember my wife being heckled by a group of ladies, one of whom snatched away her purse. We also saw a man tugging unashamedly at the bag of a Japanese tourist, who looked betrayed.

Yours faithfully,
Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Calcutta

At a loss

Sir — Flourishing rapidly on the extreme northern fringes of Calcutta is the small town, Madhyamgram. The town has developed along either flanks of Jessore Road and has gained importance because of its proximity to the airport and New Town. The Noai Canal, now acting as a dividing line between New Barrackpore and Madhyamgram, and stretching from the south of Ganganagar to Sajirhat in the west, was once a wide river called Labanyabati. In colloquial speech, it became the river Noai, and after getting heavily silted, it has now turned into the Noai Canal. Labanyabati river was once a navigation channel helping the export of paddy and tobacco products grown in the region. With the disintegration of Labanyabati into Noai Canal, Madhyamgram too lost its glory. Now the few remaining vacant plots of land here are rapidly being grabbed by real estate developers for building residential complexes.

The Madhyamgram four-point crossing or the chowmatha is the busiest point in the town. Hundreds of people, including school children, use the crossing every day. The governing body here has perhaps never given a thought to the fact that it is an accident-prone area, which is in immediate need of a footbridge for pedestrians. The Jessore Road facilitates trade with Bangladesh and with neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. But sadly, till date, no initiative has been taken to further develop the road. Congestions, accidents and traffic snarls are daily affairs.

The silent death of Labanyabati and the birth of Noai are the reasons behind the degeneration of Madhyamgram. People defecate and dump carcasses in the stagnant waters of the canal. Is it not possible to give back Labanyabati its old charm and beauty?

Yours faithfully,
Alok Ganguly, Calcutta

Sir — About 50 years ago, we built a house in Barisha, in the southern suburbs of the city. It was a peaceful area, sparsely populated and with lots of greenery. Everyone used to say that the area has a lot of potential to develop and become a part of the main city. Unfortunately, the area did not develop much although it became a part of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation in 1984. Nothing changed, except the municipal tax, which increased. Then the craze of building houses here started and very soon, the vacant lands were filled up. The waterbodies disappeared and no outlets were left for excess water.

Initially, our area used to get flooded once or twice a year. At present, during the three months of intense monsoon, we are under knee to waist deep water for at least 40 days. In August 2010, the CMC laid drainage pipe in the lowest pockets of Barisha. During the monsoon of 2011, pumps were used to drain out water. But during the monsoon of 2012 and 2013, pumps were scarcely used and the inlets remained choked. A beneficial project has turned into a nightmare and we are at a loss.

Yours faithfully,
Diptimoy De, Calcutta