Siliguri: Owing to the heavy rains, residents of Joynagar Colony in Fulbari-II Gram Panchayat (GP) under the Dabgram-Fulbari Constituency are facing severe hardships as overflowing water from the Jorapani River has entered their homes, submerging large parts of the area. The area remained waterlogged on Tuesday due to overnight rains on Monday.
According to locals, despite repeated appeals to the local administration for a permanent solution, the problem remains unresolved. On Tuesday, Mayor Gautam Deb visited the affected area to assess the situation firsthand after getting such complaints. He was accompanied by Manisha Roy, a member of the Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad, the Joint BDO, officials from the Irrigation department and other public representatives.
During his visit, Deb assured residents that immediate temporary measures would be taken to prevent further waterlogging. He also stated that the matter would be brought to the attention of the state Irrigation department Minister, with a formal request for the construction of a permanent river embankment to safeguard the community.
“This is a recurring problem that causes immense suffering to the people. Our aim is to push for a lasting solution,” the Mayor said after inspecting the area.
The residents, however, remain wary, hoping this time the promises will translate into concrete action before the next monsoon brings fresh devastation.
On the other hand, the drinking water supply by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) will be disrupted in several wards for around five days due to the pre-Puja maintenance work of the state Electricity department. In this regard, the SMC issued a notification on Monday night.
According to the notice, no drinking water will be supplied by the SMC in the evening in ward numbers 1 to 47 on August 10 and September 7, on August 23 in ward numbers 36 to 44, and on August 12 and August 28 in wards 31 to 35.
Therefore, all the residents have been asked to be prepared to store water as per their requirements.
Tankers will however be pressed into service.