Asok Mohan Chattopadhyay, officer on special duty, Calcutta Improvement Trust, met readers of The Telegraph at his office to answer their queries. Participants included A.K. Sinha, Mohammad S. Ehsan, K. Roychaudhury, Mohammad Sharique Ehsan, Chandrani Sen, Shakil Ahmed and Sovan Ghosh

Mohammad Sharique Ehsan: Is the Calcutta Improvement Trust (CIT) taking up any new development project in the city?

The CIT came up in 1911 for carrying out development work in the city. Our importance as an independent development agency has been downsized due to the dissolution of the trustee board. The CIT is now under the CMDA. However, we have submitted six proposals for approval under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM).

Chandrani Sen: People living in Calcutta proper are thankful to the CIT for widening the roads. Why can’t you take up similar steps in Behala, Garden Reach, Jadavpur and areas in east Calcutta.

Under Calcutta proper, we just have Jadavpur under our purview. We have an alignment proposal for the roads there.

In the other areas, 53 schemes of aligning the roads, which were announced earlier, are pending. Of those, 30 have been cancelled. Several other schemes are still under consideration. These include widening of Bentinck Street, extension of Shashi Bhusan De Street till Lenin Sarani and widening of Narkeldanga Main Road. The plan will be implemented under the JNURM. The state will have to acquire land and provide funds for land acquisition.

Shakil Ahmed: If Bentinck Street is widened on both the sides, what will happen to the tenants?

According to the proposal, the eastern side of Bentinck Street will be widened. Therefore, no development is allowed there. As per the rule, the land-owner will get compensation, while his tenant will get only the shifting charge.

A.K. Sinha: A CIT-owned housing complex in Golf Gardens is in a deplorable state. The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) is providing the daily service. Why can’t you hand over the complex to the CMC?

Except Bijon Setu and the roads inside the Golf Gardens, everything has been handed over to the CMC. Recently, the CMC has also agreed to take over the roads.

A.K. Sinha: There is a CIT-owned waterbody in Golf Gardens. But its existence is now at stake due to mushrooming of shanties around it. The shanty-dwellers are filling up the pond to build toilets. It has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a pool for various diseases. Can you do something?

We have prepared an action plan and requested the South 24-Parganas police for assistance. The drive will be carried out as soon as we get the assistance. The portion of the waterbody that was illegally filled has been restored by the CIT.

Mohammad S. Ehsan: Are you aware that around 40 per cent tenants in the Kasba apartments have transferred their flats to others in exchange of salaami? There is another group of tenants who earn Rs 2,000 per month subletting their flats?

Can you give us the details in writing? Then we can carry out an inquiry into your allegations.

K. Roychaudhury: If I am not wrong, Bijon Setu was also constructed by the CIT. In just 20 years, the bridge is in a bad state due to poor maintenance. The railings have broken down and the stairs to Ballygunge railway station or Kasba CIT Market are in a deplorable state. The pavement is also in a bad condition. Are you planning to repair the bridge?

Bijon Setu is named after Bijon Bose, who was an executive engineer of the CIT. The bridge is a matter of pride for us.

The stairs to Kasba CIT Market have been repaired. But I am not aware if the repaired stairs have broken down again. The railings will be replaced soon.

For the bridge, the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has taken up a scheme. Though Bijon Setu was constructed by us, the funds for the construction came from the CMDA. Initially, they gave us funds for its maintenance. But they have stopped it now.

A number of rooms under the bridge are lying vacant for years. Why aren’t not you letting them out?

We don’t have any information about rooms lying vacant. May be some of the allottees have locked their stalls or shops. But they have been paying the rent regularly.