TMC to take up waterlogging issue with Airports Authority

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy along with other MLAs of North 24-Parganas will meet the senior officials of the Airports Authority of India in New Delhi to address the issue of waterlogging in vast areas surrounding

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Dum Dum.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the administrative review meeting held in Barasat on Wednesday requested Roy to take up the issue with the AAI, New Delhi. Several MLAs, including Tapas Chatterjee and Aditi Munshi complained of waterlogging in different areas of their constituencies.

The MLAs from Hingalgunj, Basirhat also talked about waterlogging in their areas. Some MLAs also said the drainage canals need to be desilted to combat the waterlogging woes.

"I have decided to meet the Sky God and request him not to send so much rain here. Because of climate change we are receiving heavy rainfall and it has become almost impossible to reduce the woes of the people living in the low lying areas. It is unfortunate that saline water is entering the paddy fields affecting agriculture badly," Banerjee said jokingly.

Banerjee asked the chief secretary to take up the issue with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to seek their assistance and the NGOs working in the field of climate change so that they can raise the issue in the global

platform.

She said in the areas where the fishing bheris are situated talks can be held with the owners to seek their involvement in the maintenance of the roads that are situated in the adjoining areas. The roads that are situated close to the fishing bheris get damaged during every monsoon.

Banerjee asked the state Irrigation and Waterways department to use the dry season to clean the canals." Often we do not take up the work in the dry season and resume work during monsoon. This is a wrong practice. We should start working during the dry season to get the benefit during monsoon," she maintained.