18 February 2012

UNFULFILLED PLANS


50 years on, lack of amenities continues to plague Salt Lake 

Suman Chakraborti TNN 


Kolkata: It was 50 years ago that then chief minister of Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy had laid the foundation stone of the township. Five decades on,Salt Lake still lacks various civic amenities that are essential for the development of a township. 
    Two years back, Trinamool Congress took over the reins of the Bidhannagar Municipality and made numerous promises. The civic authorities had earlier submitted a list of civic issues, that needed to be looked into, to the state urban development department. Improvement of Kestopur canal, construction of metalled roads, proper disposal of garbage, improvement of parks are some of the issues that find a place in the list. 
    Though municipality officials claim that steps were being taken, these plans continue to remain on paper. 
    “We are taking all necessary steps to improve the civic amenities of the township,” said municipality chairperson Krisna Chakraborty. 
    TOI takes a look at the major issues plaguing the township — 
Property tax 
    
It was in 2007 that the Supreme Court had scrapped the township’s property tax structure. Regular collection of property tax has been stopped since then. Civic officials said that a new tax structure will be put in place where self property-assessment forms will be filled by the residents. The welfare association, however, said that no new tax structure could be implemented till the pending court case is solved. “We are ready to cooperate with the civic body on this issue. It should start collecting tax on the basis of the old tax struc
ture to meet up the arrears that are accumulating,” said Kumar Sankar Sadhu, general secretary ofthe Bidhannagar Welfare Association. 
    The municipality has to also sort out the status of land in Salt Lake vis-a-vis the land in the added areas. Salt Lake is under the state urban development department, while land in the “added areas” is still under the local land and land revenue department. The municipality has to bring all the land under one authority before initiating property assessment. 
Illegal transfer and selling of residential plots 
    
According to rules, plots or houses in Salt Lake cannot be sold or transferred since all the plots are leased for 999 years. But, irrespective of all these rules, plots and houses continue to be sold. There are about 12,000 plots in the township, 35% of which has already been transfered or sold illegally. The
urban development department had earlier set up a committee to look into this matter, but the problem could not be sorted. “The problem of residential buildings and plots being sold out is the biggest problem for the township but sadly nothing is being done to check this menace. Several hundred of houses have been sold with the help of the touts,” said BN Chatterjee, secretary of 
the Salt Lake Citizens Welfare Society. 
Solid waste management 
    
Fifty years since the township came into existence, Salt Lake is yet to have a garbage disposal system in place. The civic authorities had started off with a scientific process of separating different types of waste. But, like all other plans, it was not implemented. The authorities should look for an 
alternative as the present dumping site, Mollar bheri, is overflowing. “This is one area where the civic authorities have been failing miserably. There has to be a proper waste disposal system in place,” said Sudhir Dey, a senior resident of BA block. 
Roads and traffic 
    
The deteriorating condition of roads in Salt Lake needs to be looked into immediately. Chaotic traffic has added to the miseries of the residents. “The important junctions of the township are now witnessing traffic chaos, especially during office hours. Also, cars being parked on both sides of the road add to the problem. Roads are also full of craters and potholes,” said retired DG BP Saha, a resident of the township. 
Hoardings and billboards 
    
Key areas like City Centre, Karunamoyee and PNB Island are cluttered with illegal hoardings and billboards. A 
survey by the civic authorities revealed that out of the 378 hoardings in Salt Lake, 188 are illegal. It has now been decided that illegal hoardings will be pulled down. 
Drainage and Sewerage system 
    
Faulty drainage system has been a long standing problem of the township. At many places, the drainage and sewerage lines have got interlinked. According to civic authorities, there is no proper map of the township’s drainage and sewerage masterplan. “We are working to prepare a map of the existing drainage and sewerage system.” said a civic official. 
Kestopur canal 
    
Kestopur canal is in a shambles. Though there have been numerous plans to renovate the canal, no initiative has been taken on that front. The previous Left-run government decided to introduce ferry services on the canal, but the project did not succeed.With no cleaning up, the canal has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 
Developing civic infrastructure in the added areas 
    
Civic authorities have promised to develop the added areas of Mahisbathan, Nayapatti and Duttabad, but there has been no visible change. It was only recently that the urban development department floated a plan to develop Duttabad by setting up flats for the existing dwellers. 
Mosquito menace 
    
Mosquitoes have been a problem since the township came into existence. Despite efforts by civic officials, mosquitoes continue to breed in the area. Authorities are now taking help of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the irrigation department for clean up. 

SALT LAKE BLUES 

No new property tax structure Illegal transfer of residential plots and houses No system of garbage disposal Illegal hoardings 
Chaotic traffic and potholed roads Faulty drainage system No renovation plans for Kestopur canal No development in added areas Mosquito menace