Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has approved a Rs 57.54 crore proposal to upgrade and refurbish the century-old brick sewer lines along Jawaharlal Nehru Road and Chowringhee Road, two of the city’s busiest and most flood-prone stretches.
The initiative aims to tackle chronic waterlogging in central Kolkata by modernising one of its oldest underground drainage networks.
According to KMC, the project will involve desilting and Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) lining of the existing brick sewers covering key sections from the junction of Lenin Sarani and Bentinck Street to AJC Bose Road, including Park Street and Chowringhee. These arterial sewers form part of the city’s original British-era drainage system that connects north towards Dum Dum and BT Road, south towards Ballygunge and Alipore, and east towards Park Street and Moula Ali. The Mayor, Municipal Commissioner, and Works Committee have approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by KMC engineers. It will now be placed before the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs (UD&MA) Department, Government of West Bengal, for necessary Administrative Approval and Financial Sanction (AA&FS) and funding.
The DPR estimates the total project cost at Rs 57,54,89,778, and a five per cent provisional sum for shifting utility services.
The estimate has been prepared using the same methodology and rate structure adopted for the Raja Dinendra Street sewer rehabilitation project earlier implemented by the civic body.
Once the UD&MA Department grants approval, KMC will invite tenders through official portals and newspapers.
Officials said the rehabilitation will strengthen the old sewer network and enhance its carrying capacity, significantly reducing waterlogging in the Jawaharlal Nehru Road–Chowringhee corridor and improving drainage flow in adjoining areas of central Kolkata.