Pillars of a house on Maharani Indira Devi Road have cracked, and residents of the area blame the sewerage pipe-laying work in their locality. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Cracks have appeared in a number of houses on Maharani Indira Devi Road, in Parnasree, Behala, where sewerage pipes are being laid under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) scheme.

Local residents have brought the matter to the notice of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the contractor concerned, but only oral assurances of repairs have been forthcoming. The house-owners fear lack of timely action may result in disaster.

?We bought the house barely three years ago. It is quite well-built. The building developed cracks after the work for laying sewerage pipes started,? said Sanjib Roy, whose family stays with his brother?s in a two-storeyed house.

?The pipes are being laid carelessly. The contractor visited our house and inspected the cracks. He has promised that they would be repaired, but till date, nothing substantial has been done. The CMC officials, who are overseeing the ADB work, are well aware of the situation. But no one is taking our complaints seriously,? continued Roy.

His neighbour, Kali Sankar Nandi, too, noticed cracks on the walls of his house after the pipe-laying work started. According to him, the ADB project started around March, but was suspended early in June, after labourers stopped work over non-payment of dues.

During the week-long halt of work, there was heavy rain. ?The downpour washed the piled-up mud against the walls of the houses, leading to the cracks,? alleged Nandi.

?I have brought the matter to the notice of the CMC officials and also the contractor, but to no avail,? he complained.

Secretary of Behala (West) zonal committee Moloy Roy Chowdhury claimed that the contractor engaged by the civic body was not doing its work properly. ?Local residents have informed the councillor, but nothing was done,? he stated.

Chairman of Borough XI of CMC Sovan Chatterjee said he was aware of the matter. ?But till date, no one has made any complaint. If anyone makes an official complaint, I will ensure that the repairs are carried out immediately.?

Sewerage pipes are being laid under Maharani Indira Devi Road to prevent waterlogging. Arrangements are being made to pump out water to Begor canal, a few km away.

?It is a big project. When the pipes are laid in narrow lanes, such cracks might appear. We will repair the houses as soon as we get complaints,? signed off Chatterjee.