Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon have CCTV surveillance in four of its drainage pumping stations in the city. The move by the Drainage department of the civic body is aimed at ensuring timely attendance of the officials on duty at the pumping stations. "To begin with, Ultadanga, Ballygunge, Dhapa and Palmer Bazar drainage pumping stations will have CCTV facilities. A total of 22 CCTVs will be installed in these four pumping stations. Gradually, all 73 pumping stations will come under surveillance," a senior official of the Drainage department of KMC said. According to the official, the main objective behind the move is to keep a tab on whether the officials and employees of the pumping stations are coming and leaving on time, whether the pumps are being operated in the right time or not and whether the machineries are working properly or not. There will be at least one CCTV in the room where the main pump is kept. The feed will be available directly to the Member, Mayor-in-Council (Sewerage & Drainage) Tarak Singh, while he is in office. There have been some stray incidents of machines going defunct or their parts being stolen in the recent past. It may be mentioned that the KMC has been successfully draining water accumulating in the city during monsoon season through its developed drainage and sewerage infrastructure. However, certain pockets in North Kolkata like Sukia Street, Madan Mohan Burman Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road (Thanthania Kalibari) have been a concern for them. In these places, water takes reasonably longer time to drain out in comparison to other parts of the city. Municipal Commissioner Khalil Ahmed has sought suggestions from the department of Civil Engineering at IIT Kharagpur, to prepare a proper analysis report mentioning reasons for waterlogging in these parts and accordingly suggest measures to improve the situation there. In a letter addressed to the head of Civil Engineering department of IIT KGP Dhrubajyoti Sen, Ahmed has also sought suggestions for detailed study of the sewerage and drainage master plan prepared by the civic body in 2007 and suggest changes in the same to prevent waterlogging in the North Kolkata pockets.

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