Kolkata: A day after at least 8 people were killed in Kolkata following overnight rainfall that flooded streets, railway tracks, and Metro tracks, disrupting normal life, the city on Wednesday started limping back to normalcy.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that her government would pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to each family of those who died in the natural calamity. Banerjee also made it clear that if the CESC does not provide jobs to a member of the deceased’s family, her government would ensure that employment is given to the victims’ families. She also urged the CESC to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the victims’ families.
“No compensation is enough for those who have lost their dear ones. Nature is beyond our control. For those who tragically lost their lives due to electrocution, the State government will provide Rs 2 lakh to their families. While money cannot replace lives, we will also ensure that employment is provided to the next of kin, even if CESC fails to do so. I also urged the CESC to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each family of those killed in the incident as it occurred due to CESC’s faults,” Banerjee stated.
She further pointed out: “Water levels have receded significantly. The situation turned complicated due to a tidal bore in the Hooghly River. Except for a few low-lying areas, most of the water has drained.” The Chief Minister also put the blame on the Centre. “Dredging was not carried out in Kolkata port and the Farakka Barrage for the past 20 years. Water enters Bengal from Bihar, Jharkhand,” added Banerjee. The Chief Minister, on Wednesday morning, spoke to the deceased’s families over the phone and assured all sorts of help.
Even as the MeT department ruled out heavy rain in the city in the next 24 hours, some pockets, particularly in southern fringes, continued to face waterlogging issues on Wednesday, with efforts to pump out water from low-lying areas underway.
In some pockets of Salt Lake, the people faced difficulties even on Wednesday morning due to power cuts. The situation came to normalcy towards the evening.
The people in Kolkata woke up to a sunny morning on Wednesday. The KMC officials who were out on the streets since Tuesday morning managed to drain out the accumulated water from almost all the parts of the city on Wednesday. The traffic movement on EM Bypass, Rabindra Sarani, Alipore Road, Lenin Sarani, and Mahatma Gandhi Road was normal. Kolkata-bound traffic flow from Second Hooghly Bridge side was also normal. The condition at Park Circus Seven point crossing gradually became normal on Wednesday morning. Some parts of Amherst Street, College Street, Kankurgachi Underpass were partially waterlogged on Wednesday morning. It was also learnt some parts of Patuli and southern parts and some parts of Ballygunge were also partially waterlogged in the morning.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister inaugurated more than 30 puja pandals in Kolkata on Wednesday, including those which she could not inaugurate on Tuesday following heavy rains.