Kolkata: Amid the forecast of Cyclone ‘Remal’, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) took preparatory measures to deal with any possible impact in the city.
With Kolkata being one of the districts for which a red alert was issued by the Meteorological department, the KMC opened its control room for citizens. Member-Mayor-in-Council Tarak Singh of Drainage department said that constant monitoring is afoot while the civic body has kept several teams on standby in case of waterlogging caused by heavy showers.
These teams will reach the water pockets to do the needful to drain stagnant water. Additional 350 drainage pumps were kept on standby while 186 portable pumps will also be used if required.
Mayor Firhad Hakim conducted a meeting with all borough officials and gave necessary instructions to ensure in the case the city is impacted heavily by the storm, normalcy in restoring services can be done on a war footing. Leaves of workers in crucial departments of drainage, parks and squares, building, lighting, roads, among others, have been cancelled.
The Parks and Squares department was asked to keep all machineries ready in case uprooted trees are to be cleared from the roads. Lighting department has been asked to check electric feeder boxes and ensure their covers are not open. Also, instructions were given to monitor lock gates. A disaster management team was also kept on standby. Further, it was instructed that big advertisement hoardings be pulled down, especially ones that are in a vulnerable condition.
Meanwhile, the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued an advisory where it has asked people not to panic and monitor news reports.
It asked people to keep essentials stocked while also asking citizens not to touch any lamp-posts. People were advised not to take shelter under trees during thunderstorms. Citizens within the BMC area were also provided with the control room contact number 6292234126. Instructions also given to keep one’s phone charged in case of power cuts.