Kolkata, Sep 25 (IANS) Days after a cloudburst wreaked havoc in Kolkata, the situation is now normal following receding of rain water in almost all places amid apprehensions of fresh inundation after heavy rain is forecast in a couple of days.

A month’s worth of rain in just five hours on Tuesday, combined with a high tide in river Hooghly during the heaviest rainfall period, resulted in widespread waterlogging across the city.

However, by Thursday morning, the roads in a large number of places were free of waterlogging with the exception of one or two low-lying pockets in the city.

Taking advantage of the improved weather Durga puja organisers — who had received a setback following the midnight cloudburst and heavy rains in the days after that which damaged several Puja pandals — made most of the day by repairing the damage and getting the mandaps ready for public viewing.

From Thursday, visitors will throng Durga puja pandals across the city. Lakhs of people will converge in Kolkata to soak in the festive revelry which will engulf the city for the next seven days.

With the sky clearing up on Thursday, civic authorities and Kolkata Police made most of it by making preparations for the coming days. There are also apprehension of further rains as a low pressure area is likely to take shape in the Bay of Bengal which will bring more rain to the city on Friday and Saturday.

Therefore, civic authorities did not waste time and are taking adequate steps to ensure the city remains free of waterlogging and electrocution mishaps. As many as 8 people died after being electrocuted by exposed wires in the waterlogged city on Tuesday morning.

It was decided in a meeting at Lalbazar (Kolkata Police headquarters) that there should be no exposed wires lying unprotected anywhere in the city and officers incharge of each police station have been given strict instructions to this effect.

The police will also keep an eye on lamp posts that appear hazardous and take timely action to keep the citizens safe.

Kolkata Police are also in talks with Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) which supplies power to Kolkata and adjoining areas, over this issue.

There is a possibility of rain in the city again for a few days before Sunday when the puja begins as per the tradition.

The police are on alert to ensure that the rain does not cause any more disasters. Every policeman and officer has been instructed to carry raincoats and adequate umbrellas for duty during the Puja.

Police are ready to manage the crowd from Thursday onwards as most of the puja mandaps will be thrown open for the public.

To keep the traffic movement smooth during the Puja, special barricades have been put up on one side of the road outside the footpath for the movement of pedestrians and visitors to the mandaps.

The police have been told that since many people from outside will come to see the puja in Kolkata, their safety must be given priority.

For the safety of women, most of the police pickets will be staffed with female police personnel. A women’s team will patrol the city. The police will keep watch from over 60 watch towers in the city while hundreds of CCTVs are being installed for the occasion of puja alone.

Meanwhile, civic authorities, too, have prepared a strategy to combat any sort of waterlogging.

Officials of the KMC’s sewage department have clearly stated that if there is heavy rain again during the festival, the situation will be managed by planning in advance.

It has been decided that cleaning of major drains and canals in the city will be carried out on a war footing for smooth draining out of rain water from the city to river Hooghly.

Installation of mobile pumps in areas prone to waterlogging will be done and a 24-hour technical team and control room will be opened for emergency.

There will be joint coordination with power companies and police for smooth management of the entire process.

About 10 people were electrocuted in West Bengal including 8 in Kolkata. Train services, metro services were disrupted while traffic in Kolkata was completely paralysed as almost every road was waterlogged.

–IANS

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