CM announces project of Rs 40 cr to resolve waterlogging woes

Kolkata: The age-old problem of water logging at Alipore Body Guard Lines during monsoon is soon going to be the matter of the past as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a Rs 40 crore project to bring an end to the menace at the earliest.

The Chief Minister announced the project during her visit to the bodyguard lines to inaugurate a Durga Puja there. The state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim was also present at the same programme.

Alipore Bodyguard Lines houses major installations of Kolkata Police along with auditorium and barracks for the rank and file. Many training programmes are undertaken at the bodyguard lines where the office of the city police community policing wing is also situated. "We have witnessed heavy water logging at Alipore Bodyguard Lines. Even boats had to be engaged during monsoon. A project has been taken up at a cost of Rs 40 crore to check water logging," Banerjee said. "A pumping station will be set up. The work of the project has already started," Banerjee said after giving direction to speed up the work so that it gets completed at the earliest.

With completion of the project, the age-old problem of Alipore Bodyguard Lines at South Kolkata is going to get resolved. It will give respite to the police personnel who stay at the barracks and at the same time they will also not face any inconvenience while executing any task during monsoon.

The Mamata Banerjee government has taken a series of steps for the rank and file of both the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police and it includes ensuring better barrack facility. The Chief Minister has also directed to set up more barracks so that police personnel can stay maintaining safe distance at the time of Covid.

Bengal has come up as the first state to introduce Police Divas on September 1 to mark the sacrifice of the rank and file for the society. The Chief Minister has also taken steps so that the police can work without being much stressed. The total strength of the police personnel in the state at present has gone up to 3 lakh with recruitment of 1.76 lakh in the past few years and another 24,000 constables and 2400 sub-inspectors will be recruited in the next three years.