Tag: KMC

Bad road in Kolkata? Register your complaint to KMC via WhatsApp

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Repairing your neighbourhood roads will now be a WhatsApp message away. Kolkata Municipal Corporation is coming up with a dedicated number where you can send photos of broken roads and get them repaired in 48 hours.

All you have to do is take click a photo and WhatsApp it to the soon-to-be-announced KMC number, giving the exact address and the nearest landmark. After receiving the photographs, a team from the borough will visit the spot immediately to make a preliminary study o the damage.

There are around 4,000 km of roads in Kolkata, of which 1,800 km is repaired every year by the civic authorities.

The complaints will be collected centrally , sorted and handed out to the respective borough offices. Soon, residents can WhatsApp their complaint if a streetlight is defunct or a beautified road needs maintenance.

KMC draws up mega project report to combat water-logging

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KMC drawn up a detailed project report for combating water-logging in this part of the city this monsoon. The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 23 crore.

In his first meeting on monsoon preparedness with representatives of such government agencies as KMDA (Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority), KMWSA (Kolkata Metropolitan Water & Sanitation Authority), PWD (Public Works Department), Irrigation, PHE (Public Health Engineering) and KMC technocrats, Singh laid out the blueprint for fighting water-logging this monsoon.

As the first step to rid the city of water-logging, Singh directed his department to ensure that most major and critical drainage pumping stations in the city come under CCTV surveillance.

The KMC issued an order asking all executive engineers of the sewerage & drainage department to pull night shifts at different pumping stations from June 15 and continue in that vein till the monsoon retreats.

Mamata Banerjee announces names of KMC Chairman and Mayor-in-Council

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Trinamool Chairperson Ms Mamata Banerjee Wednesday met the newly elected councillors of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and ninety civic bodies in the state at Nazrul Mancha.

Office bearers of KMC

Ms Banerjee decided at the meeting that Mr Sovan Chatterjee will be Mayor of the KMC for the second time. Ms Mala Roy will be chairperson of the KMC. Iqbal Ahmed will be the deputy Mayor and Ms Ratna Sur will be the chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in the KMC.

Swapan Samadder, Atin Ghosh, Manzar Iqbal, Tarak Singh, Ram Pyare Ram, Debasish Kumar, Debabrata Majumder, Samsujjaman Anshari, Indrani Saha Banerjee, Amiruddin Bobby, Ratan Dey and Abhijit Mukherjee will be members, mayor-in-council of the KMC.

This is the first time in the history of KMC that a woman councillor has become chairperson of the civic body, Mamata Banerjee said.

Three newly elected Independent councillors joined the Trinamool Congress yesterday, bringing the total number of Trinamool Congress councillors in the KMC to 117.

Borough Chairmen

Mamata Banerjee also named the Chairmen for the 16 boroughs under Kolkata Municipal Corporation:

Borough I – Tarun Saha

Borough II – Sadhan Saha

Borough III – Undecided

Borough IV – Smita Bakshi

Borough V – Aparajita Dasgupta

Borough VI – Sanchita Mandal

Borough VII – Bishwanor Chattopadhyay

Borough VIII – Jiban Saha

Borough IX – Ratan Malakar

Borough X – Tapan Dasgupta

Borough XI  – Tarakeshwar Chakraborty

Borough XII – Sushanta Ghosh (Swarup)

Borough XIII – Sushanta Ghosh (Buya)

Borough XIV – Manik Chattopadhyay

Borough XV – Indrajit Bhattacharya

Borough XVI – Ranajit Shil

TMC is in, rest all are out: Mamata Banerjee to party councillors

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Mamata Banerjee today met the newly elected party councillors, including the outgoing civic body chiefs who won, from across Bengal at Nazrul Mancha to lay down guidelines on how to adhere to a “time-bound” schedule for development activities for the next five years.

Besides the Chairperson, party’s Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, urban development minister Firhad Hakim and the party’s general secretary and MP, Suvendu Adhikari also addressed the gathering.

Trinamool has won 70 of the 91 civic boards in the districts in addition to sweeping the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls.

A total of 1,425 elected representatives, including the 114 Trinamool councillors in KMC, are expected to participate in today’s session.

Highlights of the Chairperson’s speech:

  • I welcome all the elected representatives who are present here today.
  • People of #Bengal have given a fitting reply to the canards spread by a section of people.
  • We dedicate our victory to the people. This is the beauty of democracy.
  • You have to go to every household in your wards to thank people for their support.
  • We are not here for power. We are just representatives of people.
  • We are here to work for the people. This is our duty. This is our responsibility.
  • Those who perform well must be acknowledged. Those who are committing mistakes must correct their course.
  • We are working for people of all castes, creed, communities.
  • Some people are trying to incite communal tension. It is easy to create rifts. It is not easy to win hearts.
  • Every municipality should organise training camps to make new councillors aware of their duties.
  • I will meet the PM during his State-visit. It is my Constitutional duty which I have to perform.
  • When I was Railway Minister I had initiated several projects for Bengal.
  • When we came to power I said I will develop land maps and land banks. I have done that.
  • We have lost a lot of time because of various elections. We could have done much more.
  • We inherited a huge debt burden. Centre takes away our revenues for no fault of ours.
  • Centre takes taxes from all States and then distributes money to us. They are not doing any favour.
  • Centre has slashed allocations for various schemes like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan & Backward Region Development.
  • They have reduced funds for ICDS. There are no funds for mid-day meal scheme. How will poor students survive.
  • So many people will be out of work if 100 Days’ Work Scheme is curtailed.
  • I will raise all these issues with the Centre.
  • When I don’t meet the PM, media says I am always fighting. When I meet him, they say we have a deal.
  • I am in favour of making the federal structure of India stronger.
  • We are giving rice at Rs 2/kg to the land losers in Singur.
  • We are providing vocational training to Adivasi, tribal students.
  • We have a social responsibility. We are aware of our duties.
  • CPM-Congress-BJP-ABP have formed an alliance.
  • These days anything and everything is presented as news. Facts are not even cross-checked. Lies are spread for TRP.
  • Three districts from Bengal are among the Top 4 districts in India in building toilets.
  • A leader has to take everyone along. Let Opposition continue their slander. We will work for the people.
  • We will celebrate our victory through Rabindra Jayanti function at 4 PM on Saturday in every block.
  • Trinamool Congress is intact. TMC is in. Rest all are out.
  • We gave the slogan ‘Bodla noy, bodol chai’ (We want change not revenge) in 2011.
  • Stay alert. Serve the people in your municipalities. Work for people. Stay well.
  • Young generation must come forward. We have to prepare the new generation.

KMC expedites Garden Reach water supply project

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Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) have joined hands to overhaul the water supply system in south Kolkata and three municipal areas bordering Garden Reach.

When complete, the project will end water woes in areas like Garden Reach, Kalighat, Behala, Tollygunge, Jadavpur and Mahestala, Pujali and Budge Budge municipalities. Though it involves huge investment, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee is determined to complete it by the end of this year.

Sovan Chatterjee has proposed to lay four dedicated water lines. After completion of the process, these pipes will ensure more water for residents once the augmentation of the Garden Reach plant is complete. These lines will be laid for Behala, Garden Reach, Pujali and Maheshtala.

The Mayor on Monday held a meeting with municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim and officials of KMDA, KMC and the land department. He has asked municipal commissioner Khalil Ahmed to wrap up the ongoing project at Garden Reach by October 31.

The new plant with a capacity of supplying 50 million gallon water will greatly solve the water scarcity in south Kolkata.

KMC eyes more compactors to fight filth

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Convinced with the efficiency of compactor stations — 43 at work and 25 more in the pipeline — Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee has given a go-ahead to the civic board to extend the service to areas where it has still not been introduced. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation also has plans to procure movable compactor machines to take care of existing garbage vats.

This is not all. Keeping in mind next year’s assembly elections, the Kolkata Mayor has made cleanliness a priority. Accordingly, the KMC solid waste management department has requisitioned 800 trash bins that will be strategically placed to collect waste from large municipal markets. The KMC is also contemplating to introduce small battery-driven cars to replace hand carts for door-to-door collection of garbage. Such battery cars are already operational in areas like Manoharpukur Road, Sarat Bose Road and parts of Rashbehari Avenue.

However, of all these measures to make Kolkata a sparkling clean city, the Trinamool board is focusing most on the construction of more compactor stations. It was in December 2012 when Kalighat got the first compactor machine in the city. Then four more stations came up, one each in Southern Avenue, Samsul Huda Road, Tallah and Chetla.

Later West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee sanctioned a special Rs 30 crore funds for construction of compactor stations. The state funds were utilized for setting up 30 compactor stations during the period. In the last phase, the KMC set up stations at Mirza Ghalib Street to replace the infamous vat opposite the Food Corporation office. Similarly, large vats that used to spill garbage over to Camac Street, Surjya Sen Street were replaced thereafter.

The civic body will now concentrate on setting up garbage compactor machines at New Alipore, Bondel Road and Garfa Road among other areas. Initially, there was a plan to set up 78 compactor stations. But encouraged by the success of such stations, the KMC may now go up to 100 stations across the city.

“Ultimately, our aim is to make Kolkata a vat-free city. After getting a positive response from citizens, we are now committed to continue with the mission,” Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said.

Water supply top priority: Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee

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Sovan Chatterjee, who is set to take oath as mayor for the second time, came to office early on Wednesday and held a series of meetings with KMDA and KMC officials on the future course of action.

Excerpts of his plans regarding KMC’s work in the next five years:

 

Q. What are your plans for the next five years?

Mayor: This time I will concentrate on sustainable development of the city. I will try to do an all round development of the city.

 

Q: Tell us some areas where you want to bring about a marked change?

Mayor: Supply of drinking water is an area where we need to improve upon in a big way. We have undertaken a major augmentation project to make potable water reach every household. Right now we have decided to inaugurate a 50 million gallon water treatment plant at Garden Reach, which is nearing completion. Out of this treatment plant, we aim to supply 10-12 million gallons of water to areas of three municipalities Budge Budge, Pujali and Maheshtala.

We will then take up construction of another treatment plant at Garden Reach. Besides, the capacity of Palta waterworks and Dhapa water treatment plant will also undergo an augmentation programme. The aim is to discourage installation of tube wells as a source of drinking water.

 

Q: Besides water supply what will be the other focus areas?

Mayor: There are many. We have successfully installed 43 garbage compactor stations across the city to phase out vats, which would make the city dirty.
Now we intend to extend the service to places where large vats still exist. We are in the process of finding land for setting up such compactor stations. In the next five years, we will take the number from 43 to 100.

This apart, we have planned to install 1,000 trash bins of different sizes to take care of waste from the different markets.

 

Q: What about your plans for the beautification of the riverfront?

Mayor: We have decided to continue with the riverfront beautification. The successful implementation of the beautification project along the Hooghly till Jagganath Ghat will be extended up to Mayer Ghat and then further. We have appealed to the Centre to release funds for this.

 

Q. What will be the policy as far as determining property tax is concerned. Will you continue with the old method or introduce unit area assessment?

Mayor: We want to simplify the method of calculating property tax. While the present system of rental basis of calculating property tax will not be discarded, those who want to determine the tax based on unit area method will also be welcome. We want to keep the two systems alive.

 

Q: How will you undertake administrative reforms?

Mayor: We are duty bound to give a transparent civic administration to the citizens. It is our responsibility to ensure that nobody gets harassed while they seek services at our office counters.

 

Q: What will be your policy on hawkers?

Mayor: We have adopted a hawker policy in which we have stressed on pedestrians’ rights and ensured the livelihood of the hawkers.

Women councilors script history in KMC

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With 51 women councilors – 44% of its 114 members – Trinamool has created history.

Trinamool had nominated 64 women candidates for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls, 15 more than it was mandatory under the state election rules. Fifty one Trinamool nominees won on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, “Forty-four percent of councilors elected to the new KMC board from Trinamool are women.”

While it remained a general trend among political parties to shift and change candidates based on the ward reservation patterns, Trinamool chose to break ranks by re-nominating seven women candidates in general category seats.

We dedicate our victory to the people of Bengal: Mamata Banerjee

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Trinamool today swept the municipal polls in Bengal by winning 71 of the 91 municipalities and 114 wards out of 144 in Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

The Chairperson also thanked the electorate of Bengal for coming out in large numbers to vote, braving the bad weather and natural calamities.

She praised Mayor Sovan Chatterjee for the good work in the last five years and expected him to perform even better in the future.

No victory rallies

After the final trends emerged, party Chairperson Ms Mamata Banerjee addressed the press at Kalighat. She dedicated the victory to the people of Bengal and urged party workers not to take out any victory rallies because of the earthquake tragedy in Nepal.

Mamata Banerjee said the victory will be celebrated on May 9, on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti. She said Trinamool workers will dedicate the huge victory in municipal polls to Rabindranath Tagore through Rabi Pronaam in every block.

Slander campaign of media defeated

She also slammed a section of the media for their slander campaign against Trinamool and said people have the final say in a democracy. “In 2008, there was unabated violence. Many people lost their lives. Several media houses maligned us during elections.Media houses like ABP unleashed slander propaganda against us. They published several false news to defame us. These media houses indulge in baseless personal attacks against us. In other States, they would have been taken to task. I request the media to be neutral. Criticise me if I am wrong. But do not indulge in paid news,” she said.

“Out of 4000 odd booths in Kolkata, complaints came from 15 of booths. One person died in polls, he was our party worker. Opposition cried foul about rigging. Had rigging happened, would our sitting Councillors lose? The channels themselves said we would win 110 seats in opinion polls.People have the final say in democracy. No one has the right to insult them,” she added.

State-funded elections

Mamata Banerjee also slammed the Centre for destroying the federal structure of the country and reiterated her demand for state-funded elections.

Trinamool thanks people for peaceful KMC polls

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People of Kolkata today came out in large numbers to vote for the Kolkata Municipal Election 2015. Long queues could be observed in front of the polling booths of all the 144 wards.

59.2% polling was recorded till 3 PM; the figure is expected to rise as people were waiting in queues at several polling booths.

Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee, Trinamool Youth Congress President Abhishek Bandyopadhyay and Chief National Spokesperson & Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien conducted at a post-poll press conference at Trinamool Bhavan.

 

Highlights of Partha Chatterjee’s statement:

• The polls today were peaceful, free and fair. We thank the people of Kolkata, we thank the administration for conducting peaceful polls.

• Few sections were trying to spread canards. The long queues at polling stations answered such propaganda.

• People have voted fearlessly. We thank them for that. Our aim is to further speed up the process of development.

• We have witnessed rigging and terror in the past elections. This time they were peaceful. Administration deserves credit.

• The Opposition was banking on a few stray incidents to paint a bad picture. Their hopes have been dashed by peaceful polls.

• The Opposition should work with us for the development of Bengal. But they want to derail Ms Mamata Banerjee’s agenda of progress.

 

Highlights of Derek O’Brien’s statement:

  • Thank you Kolkata for voting peacefully. Opposition parties know they are going to lose. So they are suffering from ‘excus-itis’.
  • Mentored by WB CM, a lot of good work has been done by KMC in the last 5 years. We are confident people will bless us abundantly.