Residents wade through water in Kasba on Monday. Picture by Kishore Roy Chowdhury

Residents of RK Chatterjee Road and its adjoining areas in Kasba are praying for a respite from rain because even after a drizzle the roads remain waterlogged for days. Students find it difficult to go to school, and businessmen down their shutters.

Repeated appeals to local councillors have fallen on deaf ears, and even demonstrations have had no effect. Flooding has prevailed over the years. Residents are exasperated, wondering if there is a way out.

?We have made several deputations to local councillors, but the situation has not improved. We don?t know if we will ever get rid of this problem,? said Samir Mukherjee, a local resident.

Beside RK Chatterjee Road, the other Kasba areas severely affected include Bakultala, KN Sen Road, Rashbehari Road and Eastern Metropolitan Bypass connector, which fall under wards 67 and 91 of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.

?Because of waterlogging, this area has become a breeding ground of mosquitoes. It causes skin diseases, too,? said Gopa Roy, a resident of RK Chatterjee Road.

According to residents, collapse of the drainage and sewerage system has created the problem. ?When all the other areas in Kasba remain dry, only these two wards go under water. Whenever the streets get flooded, councillors tell us of various plans being undertaken. But nothing materialise. The civic authorities have deployed two pumps, but one of them does not work,? said Pallab Sen, an aggrieved resident.

The stagnating water conceals potholes and this can be very risky for vehicles and pedestrians alike. ?Driving here is a guessing game because the pitted road surface is not visible,? said Sen pointed out.

Jayanta Saha, a local businessman, said during monsoon he is unable to open his shop for days and incurs huge losses.

Deepankar De, CPM councillor of ward 91 and a mayoral council member, said dredging of the Rajdanga canal is a solution to the problem and work will be taken up soon with funds from the Asian Development Bank.