Kolkata: Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim has assured that the remaining work under the state government’s “Amader Para Amader Samadhan” programme in the city will be completed within a month, even as reportedly only 40 per cent of the work has been carried out so far.
The assurance came during the recent monthly session of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), where the progress of the neighbourhood-level initiative was discussed.
The programme, introduced by the state government, aims to resolve local civic problems at the booth level and improve basic infrastructure in neighbourhoods.
According to information shared during the session, Kolkata has around 4,800 polling booths across its 144 wards. Civic authorities said about Rs 364.93 crore has been allocated for implementing the programme across these booths.
Trinamool Congress councillor Biswarup Dey raised questions regarding the number of booths covered under the scheme, the total funds sanctioned and the extent of work completed so far.
Describing the programme as a people-oriented initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he said it was aimed at addressing civic grievances at the grassroots. Responding to the queries, Hakim said that around 40 per cent of the work has been completed so far and the remaining 60 per cent is expected to be finished within a month.
The disclosure drew criticism from opposition councillors, who alleged that the programme had fallen behind schedule. Sources in the civic body said the pace of work slowed initially as many contractors were reluctant to take up projects due to pending dues from earlier municipal works, while delays in processing some bills also affected progress.