Kolkata: With an eye on the 2026 Assembly elections, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has intensified its focus on slum development in its 2026-27 Budget, placing the Uttaran Services Department at the centre of a civic push across densely populated neighbourhoods.
Official documents show housing and sanitation works in slum areas gathered pace during 2025-26, with projects underway and more in the pipeline. The Budget allocates Rs 250.16 crore for the 2026-27 FY.
Under the Affordable Housing Project (AHP) of the Banglar Bari scheme, five housing projects are ongoing at Mayer Bari (Ward 7), Canal South Road (Ward 57), Ultadanga Main Road (Ward 32), J.K. Ghosh Road (Ward 3) and Harish Chatterjee Street (Ward 73). Some completed flats have already been distributed.
Thirteen additional housing sites have been identified. These include locations in front of Premises No. 46 at Orphangunge Market (Ward 74), near Ratan Babu Ghat (Ward 1), 34 Upendra Chandra Banerjee Road (Ward 30) and 7 Canal East Road (Ward 13), along with sites near Shashi Shekhar Drainage Pumping Station (Ward 73), 5 Hemchandra Naskar Road (Ward 34), 83A Bagmari Road in Harijan Bustee (Ward 32), Charur Math in Mukherjeepara (Ward 83), near Keorapukur STP (Ward 123), Pipe Bustee (Ward 94), 134 Alif Nagar beside a community hall (Ward 134), T208 Mithatalab Lane (Ward 138) and 6 Pagladanga Road (Ward 57).
Sanitation infrastructure in slum belts has been overhauled. Under the ODF+ scheme, 319 pay-and-use toilets were taken up for renovation; 230 have been completed in 2025-26 and work continues on 89. The civic body has secured ODF+ certification for Kolkata. Construction of nine modern pay-and-use toilets along the EM Bypass has been initiated.
Additionally, 34.71 km of slum passages have been newly constructed, and 27.76 km have been repaired or renovated. Sewerage systems are being upgraded, and the civic body states there is zero “no-light zone” in any slum pocket following an illumination drive.
The sanitation push extends beyond slum areas. Five roadside urinals have been renovated, and a DPR for 100 more has been submitted to SUDA under the PathaSathi scheme, with 26 approved. Proposals for 55 portable and five movable toilet units were sent this financial year; 28 portable and three movable units have received approval and are being processed for procurement.
As the election calendar draws closer, the scale of housing and sanitation initiatives highlights a clear emphasis on basic services in slum-dominated wards — areas where civic delivery carries direct political weight.