Net to be put to prevent solid waste from entering drains

Kolkata: Taking a collaborative effort to address the persistent water logging issue at Bandel Junction Railway Station’s subway, the Eastern Railway (ER) and Hooghly-Chinsurah Municipality have decided to clean the drain within the Railway jurisdiction and high drain within the municipality area.

It was decided that a net, provided by the Railway authorities, will be installed over the drain to prevent solid waste from entering. A joint inspection was conducted at the subway on June 10 to address the problem. It was attended by the Railway officials, chairman of Hooghly-Chinsurah Municipality and representatives of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).

After the initial cleaning of the drain, it will be regularly maintained and cleaned by Bandel Gram Panchayat. “This collaborative effort is a significant step towards resolving the waterlogging issue at Bandel Junction Railway Station subway, ensuring a smoother and safer transit experience for all commuters,” Railway officials stated. Complaints of water seepage and waterlogging are pertinent to the older underpasses which do not have some of the newer technologies. For instance the underpass at Dum Dum becomes a nuisance to most of the people travelling via it due to water seepage problems.

Eastern Railway’s Sealdah Division is going to use high pressure grouting to get rid of the seepages. The new underpasses being built across the Division already have better technologies available. Railways have installed pumps and sensors there to ensure that the moment water level goes up beyond a point, the sensors will automatically operate the pump and the water will be pumped out. “These developments will ease the problem of water accumulation during the rainy season. But if you remove these three to four months where there is heavy downpour, for the balance period underpasses are beneficial for people on either sides of the tracks,” DRM Sealdah Deepak Nigam said. According to a Railway official, technology called high pressure grouting will be applied to get rid of the seepages. When asked if the other older underpasses will also undergo technological upliftments, it was informed that undertaking of other underpasses will be done gradually.