KMC Election 2015 Campaign: Borough I and II

KMC Election 2015 Campaign: Borough I and II

Posted on April 6, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Members of AITC Digital Desk took a sneak peek at the campaigns for the Kolkata Municipal Election, 2015, by All Indian Trinamool Congress at Ward Nos 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10 in Cossipore area and Chuni Babur Bazar in Borough I and Borough II. Campaign by Trinamool Congress in these areas has been based on the numerous developmental works including beautification of the areas.

Ward No: 1 –
AITC candidate Sita Jeswara

The Ward lies bounded by the Paramanick Ghat Road across Cossipore Road, Kashinath Dutta Road and across B.T. Road in the north, Khagendra Chatterjee Road and Rustomjee Parsee Road in the south, Barrackpore Trunk Road in the east and the Cossipore Road, Rustomjee Parsee Road and the River Hooghly in the west.

Graffiti of Sita Jeswara at Cossipore

Cossipore has been an important part of the city since the Raj-days. The area also houses the Cossipore Udyan Bati, where Sri Sri Ram Krishna Dev spent the last days of his life. The Cossipore Ghat, a historic crematorium, lies on the banks of river Hooghly.

Area around Cossipore Udyan Bati kept spic and span

The area in and around Cossipore is now a clean and habitable place, thanks to the works done by the current KMC Board. Even the crematorium and place around it are spic and span. The area is now well-lit and facilities like public washrooms are now in place at important junctures.

Renovated Cossipore Crematorium Ghat

Other issues that once plagued the area like water logging, development of slums, drinking water supply and beautification of water bodies have been done successfully in Ward No 1.

Ward No: 2 –
AITC candidate Puspali Sinha

The Ward lies bounded by the Kalicharan Ghose Road and Ramkrishna Ghosh Road in the north, Dum Dum Road in the south, the tracks of Eastern Railways in the east and Anath Nath Deb Lane, Paikpara Row and Beerpara Lane in the west.

The area around Sinthee More is one of the most important junctures of the city. Numerous developmental works have been carried out by the KMC in this Ward. The Sinthee More is now lit-up by a High Mast with the streets and inner lanes being equipped with proper street lights.

High Mast at Sinthee More

The last five years under the present KLMC Board has seen numerous works like construction of underground drainage system, setting up of KMC health clinic, renovation and ea of 12 parks in the Ward, setting up of KMC schools, one being residential and setting up of a compactor station near Sinthee police station. Supply of drinking water is no longer a problem in this ward.

Ward No: 4 –
AITC candidate Goutam Haldar

The Ward lies bounded by the Dum Dum Road in the north, Paikpara Raja Manindra Road and Umakanta Sen Lane in the south, Anath Nath Deb Lane, Indra Biswas Road and the Eastern Railway in the east and Barrackpore Trunk Road in the west.

Graffiti of Goutam Haldar near Chuni Babur Bazar

The area around Chuni Babur Bazar on the BT Road, Northern Avenue and Tala Park bear the bright picture of developmental works done in the last five years.

Renovated Bus Stand at Chuni Babur Bazar

The last five years saw at the supply of water from Tala Tank to more than 90% of the households in the area. Drainage problem is also a thing of past with the open drains now been covered. Slums have been renovated nas under 100 Days Work Scheme, 16 water bodies have been renovated and beautified in the area.

Ward No: 6 –
AITC candidate Suman Singh

The Ward lies bounded by the Rustomjee Parsee Road and Khagendra Chatterjee Road in the north, the Circular Canal in the south, Rustomjee Parsee Road, Cossipore Road and Barrackpore Trunk Road in the east and the River Hooghly in the west.

Graffiti of Suman Singh at Cossipore

The Ward which includes the Cossipore Gun and Shell Factory comprises mainly working class people.

Kiosks with machines supplying cold drinking water in the area

Numerous works were undertaken in the last five years including supplying of pipelined drinking water to the slums, setting up of a community hall for the residents, five High Masts in the Ward, beautification of the areas, setting up of five kiosks with machines supplying cold drinking water in the summer.

Ward No: 10 –
AITC candidate Dr Prasun Ghosh

The Ward lies bounded by the Shyambazar Street, Bhupendra Bose Avenue and Baghbazar Street in the north, Ramkanta Bose Street and Shri Aurobinda Sarani in the South, Bidhan Sarani in the east and Jatindra Mohan Avenue and Sachin Mitra Lane in the west.

Toilets for all, courtesy KMC

At the heart of North Kolkata, Ward No 10 has seen tremendous improvement in the past five years. From street light at every lane to amenities like public washrooms at important junctures, numerous works have been taken up. Restoration of heritage buildings under KMC, including landmarks like the Sovabazar Rajbari, the house of Raja Rajkrishna Deb, Bhabatraini Temple complex, Town School, Duff School has also been taken up.

KMC Election 2015 Campaign: Borough XIII and XIV

Posted on April 4, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Members of AITC Digital Desk took a sneak peek at the campaigns for the Kolkata Municipal Election, 2015, by All Indian Trinamool Congress at Ward No.s 119, 120, 131 and 132 in Behala. Enthusiasm derived from massive developmental works have been a driving force of the campaign here, we found out.

Ward No: 119 –
AITC candidate Asoka Mondal

The Ward lies bounded by the south of New Alipore Block-K in the north, Roy Bahadur and AC. Roy Road in the south, Joy Krishna Paul Road, Sahapur Main Road and Barikpara Road in the east and Diamond Harbour Road in the west.

Ashoka Mondal is a household name in the Ward No 119. We found her planning for the next move in her office in Ward No 119. A councilor for many times, Ashokadi is well aware of each corner of her ward.

Asoka Mondal at campaign office in Ward No 119

Numerous graffiti and AITC flags boast support to the hardworking councilor at every step.

Door-to-door campaign is almost finished, said Ashokadi and the response had been overwhelming. The past five years have been busy as there were loads of developmental works to be done.

Renovated Health Unit of Ward No 119

Ward No 119 has seen new health centres under KMC planned, public toilets built, the inner streets and the drinking water supply revamped and each locality cleaned daily. Health and sanitation has been give priority here in this ward.

Ward No: 120 –
AITC candidate Susanta Ghosh

The Ward lies bounded by the Roy Bahadur A.C. Roy Road in the north, Bhupen Roy Road in the south, Bamacharan Roy Road in the east and Diamond Harbour Road in the west.

Sushanta Ghosh, the AITC candidate was in a jovial mood, chatting with the party activists in the office of the Ward No 120 at Roy Bahadur Road. Door-to-door campaign has been completed a week ago, now we are holding street corner meetings and may hold a big procession. The people know their councilor and are well aware that he is always available in their thick and thin, that is the image of Sushantada in Ward No 120.

Sushanta Ghosh at his campaign office in Ward No 120

Ward No 120 has seen huge developmental works under Sushantada. Cleanliness and sanity has been a prime issue. Even the auto stands in the areas now have latrines for their usage. Parks are well maintained.

Campaign banner of Sushanta Ghosh in Ward No 119

There was a demand from the locals people to maintain the elevation of the roads, said Sushantada. After repeated patchworks, the level of the road at many places, had risen above the level of some houses. To solve this, certain roads were fully dug and relayed during the last five years, Sushantada said.

Ward No: 131 –
AITC candidate Sovan Chatterjee

The Ward lies bounded by Upendranath Banerjee Road and Bonomali Naskar Road in the north, Jingira Khal, Pallishri, Maharani Indiradebi Road and Netaji Subhas Road in the south, Diamond Harbour Road and Kshudiram Bose Sarani in the east and Jingira Khal in the west.

Sovan Chatterjee’s office at Parnashree was crowded. The mayoral candidate has led a huge procession early in the morning and the turnout had been huge. That was the main point of discussion there.

Graffiti of Sovan Chatterjee in Ward No 131

Throughout the last five years, development work has been done in all the wards under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Sovan da said. From ward number 1 to 144, a lot of work has been happening in every department including roads, lighting, parks, health, drainage and drinking water. Therefore, there is no need to take preparations for the elections separately. Work has been done for the common man and they will vote in favour of us, told a confidant Sovan da.

Campaign car with AITC symbol in Ward 131

The area around Parnashree now has an aura of pride that evolves from the numerous developmental works.

Ward No: 132 –

AITC candidate Sanchita Mitra

The Ward lies bounded by the Canal in the north, Upendranath Banerjee Road, Bonomali Naskar Road in the south, Diamond Harbour Road in the east and the junction of Upendranath Banerjee Road and the Canal in the west.

Ward No 132 houses the two most important landmarks of the Parnashree Palli – the Parnashree Bus Stand and the Parnashree Lake. Under KMC, the bust stand has been renovated and modernized providing great utility the commuters.

Graffiti of Sanchita Mitra in Ward No 132

The Parnashree Lake, which used to be an ill-maintained water body, is now a matter of pride to the locals. Beautifully decorated, guarded and lit up, the Lake adds a feather to the beautification works made by KMC. Water supply has also been revamped in the area besides cleaning the neighborhood twice a day.

Renovated Parnashree Lake, Behala

KMC leads in development of minorities

Posted on April 2, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

If the performance of the 193 odd municipal corporations in India is compared with respect to the welfare of minorities, Kolkata Municipal Corporation will undoubtedly be the best among all.

Several initiatives have been taken up for the people belonging to minority communities residing in Kolkata. A lot of progress has been made in different sectors like education, health, employment and infrastructure.

In the last five years, 23 Urdu medium schools, 26 ward health units, 55 new anganwadi centres have been set up. 86 deep tube wells have been constructed. 33 organisations belonging to minority communities have been supplied with computers, printers and scanners.

Under the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana, 40,000 people have been trained since 2010. Twenty five per cent of the trainees belonged to the minority communities.

All the Muslim and Christian burial grounds, which were lying neglected for several years, have been renovated and developed.

Kolkata now free from water logging problems, thanks to KMC

Posted on April 2, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The drainage system of Kolkata is depended on the canal network surrounding the city. After independence, most of these canals were not dredged in totality. With the help of the State Government, KMC has undertaken dredging and desiltation of this canal network. As a result, the people of Kolkata have got relief from the age-old water logging problem during the monsoon.

The canals which have been dredged and desilted are:

1. Dredging and desiltation of TP canal, inter-stepping channel, lead channel, AA1, BB1, CC1, EE1, A5, A6 up to 16 km and lining done up to 665 m

2. Desiltation worth 1.5 km has been done from Monikhali in Monikhali canal; Parnashree, Bagore channel, CPT canal areas, and lining for 390 metres have been done

3. For Keorapukur canal, Keorapukur channel, Keorapukur branch canal, desiltation of 1.1 km has been completed for, lining for 797 metres and 951 metres of U-through has been done

4. Churiwal canal, the increased areas of Churiwal canal and Suti canal’s 26.8 km silt has been cleared and lining of 211 metres have been done

The Pumping Stations used for clearing monsoon water have also been upgraded and modernised sparing the citizens of Kolkata from facing water logging problems. Also the following steps have been taken:

• Four new booster pumping stations have been installed in Borough I – RK Ghosh drainage pumping station, Birpara drainage pumping station, Dutta Bagan drainage pumping station and Kashipur drainage pumping station.

• Under Borough VIII the new pumping stations are Topsia drainage pumping station, Ambedkar Bridge pumping station over EE-1 canal, Pataldanga drainage pumping station, Kulia-Tangra drainage pumping station and the old pumping station at Chingrighata have been renovated and refurbished to cater to an increased volume.

• Under Borough XI six new pumping stations have been renovated and refurbished to increase their capacity.

• In Borough XII the old drainage pumping stations have been replaced with new ones, PS1 drainage pumping station near Bagha Jatin Rail Station, PS 3 drainage pumping station near Kasba Rajdanga, Nonadanga, PS 4 drainage pumping station and Neelachal Housing Complex drainage pumping station.

• New pumping station has been installed in Borough XIII canal road area and the three old pumping stations of that area have been refurbished to an increased capacity.

•In Borough XIV area new pumping stations have been installed namely CPT canal drainage pumping station, Behala Flying Club drainage pumping station and the two older pumping stations of that area have been refurbished to an increased capacity.

KMC achieves historic success on Property Tax initiatives

Posted on April 1, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Kolkata Municipal Corporation under the leadership of Mayor Sovan Chatterjee has decreased the property tax rates for the poor slum dwellers, middle class and lower middle class income group. Legal actions have been taken against those who have been avoiding taxes. Administrative reforms, easier tax payment procedures have helped KMC to significantly increase the revenue from property tax.

In the last five years Kolkata Municipal Corporation has taken a number of effective steps to give tax reliefs to slum dwellers, middle class and lower middle class.

Between fiscal year 2005-2006 and 2009-2010, the property tax earned was Rs 1605.67 crore. In the tenure of the present Kolkata Municipal Board the property tax collected has been Rs 3291.74 crore, out of which Rs 340 crore was earned due to the waiver scheme.

Other significant steps include:

Certificates to thika Tenants: Kolkata Municipal Corporation along with Government of West Bengal jointly has for the first time taken steps to provide certificates to thika tenants. If the certificate is in the name of the thika tenants, then it will be very easy to make mutation and take necessary permissions for reconstruction, renovation and re-modelling.

Waiving of Interest: For economically backward section who have failed to comply with taxes and interest and penalties, due to financial reasons a waiver up to 50% of the interest is provided.

E-Governance: Various administrative steps have been taken to make tax payments easier. Citizens can visit the KMC website and check the tax due, pay taxes, download forms.

Mutation: In the last five years various mutation camps have been organised for faster mutations. Apart from this, in various unit offices, ‘one visit mutation counters’ have also been opened. More than 5 lakh mutations have been given in the last five years.

In conversation with… Sovan Chatterjee, Mayor of Kolkata

Posted on March 30, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

AITC Web Team: The Municipal Corporation elections are a few weeks away. What are the preparations leading up to it?

Mayor: Throughout the last five years, development work has been done in all the wards under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. From ward number 1 to 144, a lot of work has been happening in every department including roads, lighting, parks, health, drainage and drinking water. Therefore, there is no need to take preparations for the elections separately. Work has been done for the common man and they will vote in favour of us.

AITC Web Team: According to the Opposition, the municipal board failed in the last five years. What would you say to that?

Mayor: Opposition will always criticize. People are the ultimate judge. Work has been done in all the departments and in all the wards irrespective of the political background.

AITC Web Team: Some projects of the Corporation are dependant on Central grants. Did you receive cooperation from the Centre?

Mayor: Before the Lok Sabha 2014 elections, we had sent reports to the Centre regarding several projects like JNNURM, garbage compactors, Tala Park etc. Funds from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission were also sanctioned. But BJP dismissed all such allocation after coming to power. However, that could not halt the surge of development in Kolkata.

The Corporation has achieved success in removing garbage dumps from the city with the quick action financial support from West Bengal Government. Kolkata has been made clean with the compactor machines and movable compactors. Kolkata has been made ‘Vat-Free’ without any support from the Centre.

AITC Web Team: What are the other significant works done by the Corporation in the past five years?

Mayor: Developmental work has taken place in every department. The most significant among all would be the supply of drinking water supply to 95% parts of the city. With the one and half crore gallon capacity water purification system at Garden Reach and the booster pumping station at Chetla, almost 12 wards including areas of Chetla, Alipore, eastern areas of Behala, Thakurpukur, Daspara and Joka would benefit directly and indirectly.

The Dhapa Jai Hind project has also been started which is supplying almost 30 million gallons of purified drinking water to Anandapur, Mukundapur, Patuli, JJ Khan Road and seven booster pumping station and 12 overhead reservoirs.

Also, the Kolkata Improvement Trust has done a great work to improve the drainage system, due to which Kolkata did not get water logged despite of having excessive rainfall from 2012 to 2014. Apart from this entire routine road building and repair work has been undertaken. Roads were repaired swiftly on complaints that were received.

AITC Web Team: What work has been undertaken to beautify Kolkata under the current Municipal Corporation?

Mayor: Our Hon’ble Chief Minister wished that the City of Joy be beautified in a single colour theme. In accordance with that, bridges, road railings, etc. have been painted. Out of the 620 odd parks in the city, almost all have been freshly painted; decorative lights have been installed along the roads.

The 2.5 km riverside along the Ganga from Princep Ghat to Babughat has been beautified. Anti-pollution devices have been installed at the crematoriums and the Nimtala crematorium has also been revamped. The Tangra slaughter house has also been modernised using latest technology and standards.

AITC Web Team: What are your expectations about the upcoming Kolkata Municipal elections?

Mayor: Our strength in the Corporation will increase from what it was last time. We have completed every work that was undertaken. Not a single developmental agenda has been left out. All the Councilors are now waiting for the elections.

Simplified licensing procedures for all: KMC provides online services

Posted on March 28, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Kolkata Municipal Corporation has taken steps for simplifying procedures of licensing. The process of issuing new license, renewal and receipt has been simplified in an unprecedented way. It has helped KMC to generate considerable revenues.

Here are few of the initiatives undertaken by KMC:

A comprehensive database has been created

A web portal has been created to provide citizen-centric services

In ‘single-window’ portal, the residents can view all information related to licensing; application of new license and renewal

Amendment has been made in Section 435 of the Principal Act for establishment of risk free business along major roads of the city

For details please click here.

Free health check-ups for all: KMC initiative provides free medical services

Posted on March 27, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Kolkata Municipal Corporation under the guidance of Ms Mamata Banerjee has taken several initiatives to set up free health clinics at various locations for the residents of Kolkata.

The clinics that are run by KMC offers different types of check-up facilities like malaria tests, chest examinations, anti-rabies vaccination and routine immunization.

KMC at present has 140 clinics at various wards. KMC has set up malaria clinic at Narkeldanga, Ballygunge Phari, Vivekananda Park and Jadavpur. These clinics will conduct free blood tests and free treatment.

KMC runs free health camps for economically challenged sections and for slum dwellers in Kolkata. Free checks and treatments are done in those camps.

KMC is also setting up chest clinics. One such clinic has already been set up at Tollygunge.

KMC has set up several anti-rabies clinics at different locations.

Initiatives taken by KMC for the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases

Posted on March 26, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Kolkata Municipal Corporation has taken various steps to control mosquito borne deceases. The deaths due to malaria have come down to zero in the last few years. The initiatives have received international mention is Oxford journals.

In a study conducted, it has shown that for February, the peak month for mosquito breeding, densities for egg rafts, larvae, pupae and adults, respectively, declined from 800, 2942, 1457 and 662 to 3, 75, 15 and 27.

Steps taken by the KMC:

Identifying the high risk area: Based on the data for last 3 years, 52 wards were identified as high risk areas

Joint drive for source reduction: KMC with other government departments like water supply, building, drainage and solid waste management took weekly joint drives for the period of peak malaria transmission. It was effective in destroying the mosquito breeding sites

Organising health camps and malaria clinics: Health camps adjoining to the slum areas were undertaken every year

Larvicidal spray: Larvicidal spray was done in door to door basis for all KMC wards. More than 1300 people are employed for the purpose, who carried the work all round the year

Plying speed boats along the canals: KMC has taken an initiative to ply speed boats along the canals and treat the canals with larvicidal spray to stop the breeding of mosquitoes. Speed boat generated waves were also very effective in preventing breeding of mosquitoes

Use of larvivorous fish: Efforts to destroy mosquito by using guppy fish were taken. To ensure availability, in house production of guppy fish was made in hatcheries

Mosquito research laboratory: Trinamool after coming to power in 2010, did set up the first-of-its kind laboratory in eastern India. Facilities were made for entomologists to undertake research and multiple research papers from the Institute were published in journals of international repute

Early diagnosis and complete treatment (EDCT): EDCT is one of the key strategies of the National Malaria Control Programme. KMC has set up 140 malaria clinics across the city, and suspected cases of malaria were treated in accordance with the National Drug Policy

Awareness programme through TV, Radio, leaflets, using mobile vans: High voltage mass awareness programme were launched by KMC. From audio CD, to television advertisements, to leaflets, to mobile vans to tabloids, KMC has taken a host of initiatives for creating awareness

The changing face of Kolkata under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee

Posted on March 24, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

In the course of last 5 years, Kolkata has undergone a face-lift, under the initiatives of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). The Trinamool-run KMC has undertaken various measures for the residents of the city.

Under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and the initiatives of , the ‘city of joy’ is now even more beautiful.

From beautified road dividers to modernised automated garbage vats; underpasses to beautified banks of river Hoogly, Kolkata is now a clean and green city.

Few instances of the changing face of Kolkata:

Mordernised VAT:

Kolkata Municipal Corporation has introduced mechanised garbage vans in place of the hand held vans

E-services:

KMC has introduced a host of online services for the citizens like assessment-collection, birth-death certificates, water supplies, car parking and others

Road:

The underpass constructed in Ultadanga has helped to make traffic smooth for the area

City beautification:

Kolkata has transformed into a clean and a green city

Initiatives for mosquito prevention:

KMC has taken several measures to prevent mosquito borne diseases.

When it comes to providing quality services to residents, TMC-run Kolkata Municipal Corporation has lived up to the promises made in 2010.