Baranagar Municipality to come up with three overhead reservoirs

Kolkata: In a giant stride towards ensuring potable drinking water for the residents, the Baranagar Municipality has taken up the construction of three overhead reservoirs at strategic locations within the municipal area. Chairperson of the municipality Aparna Maulik is hopeful that with the completion of these three reservoirs the dependence of people on deep tubewells in some pockets of the municipal area will be solved.

Work has already started for constructing a reservoir at the junction of ward 20 and 21 in Bidhan Park area while tender has been floated for another one which will come up at the intersection of wards 1 and 17. The third overhead reservoir will be set up in Noapara New Colony area. Water from the Kamarhati water treatment plant will be brought and stored in these reservoirs and will be supplied to the households in different wards. "In a number of pockets in some wards of our municipality, the water pressure is very low and people still have to depend on deep tubewells. In the summer months, the problem aggravates. We are hopeful of solving the problem with these three projects," Maulik said.

The construction of the overhead reservoirs is being done by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).

The Baranagar Municipality is also setting up an underground water reservoir with an investment of Rs 9 crore in Basakbagan area in ward 31. "The construction of this project is in its final stage and we hope to reap the benefits of this reservoir in a month's time," a senior official said.

Apart from the projects to address the water problem, the municipality is also coming up with a divider on BT Road and beautifying it with plantation. "The stretch from Dunlop to Sinthi More on BT Road is an accident prone area. So, we are constructing the divider to curb accidents," Maulik said.

The municipal area will soon have two electric crematorium that are under construction in its crematorium. "There was no electric crematorium and two wooden pyres were used for the last rites of the deceased. The electric ones will be functional by April and then we will be using only one wooden pyre," an official said.