The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will train personnel in its disaster management wing so they can respond to natural calamities like cyclones better, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Saturday.
Hakim was speaking at the end of budget discussions in the civic house when he spoke about the plan. The civic body’s budget for 2022-23 was placed on Thursday.
Though his speech had a lot of promises, he did not provide details of how the KMC planned to implement them.
At a news conference later, Hakim also said the people living on thika land would be able to get a lot of their thika-related work done from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters on SN Banerjee Road.
Such work is now handled by thika tenancy office in the city run by the state government.
An officer of the rank of deputy controller of thika tenancy will set up an office at the civic headquarters. Only those who are enlisted as thika tenants will be able to avail themselves of the service.
One cannot register his or her name as a thika tenant at the office.
“We will have trained personnel in our disaster management wing who will be able to respond to natural calamities,” the mayor said.
The lack of adequate number of trained personnel who could provide relief to suffering citizens as well as lack of coordination among various wings of the government and between government agencies and utility service providers became stark after Cyclone Amphan.
Removing a tree or restoring electricity took days in several areas. In many places, twisted and leaning lamp posts stood for days, even months, before they were replaced.
Trained personnel of the KMC, with thorough knowledge of the city, could provide fast relief in such a situation.
Hakim also said the KMC was keen on afforestation and preservation of water bodies.
The budget for 2022-23 has allocated the largest share of funds for the solid waste management department, followed by water supply and roads departments.