A portion of AJC Bose Road, at its intersection with Rawdon Street, in south Kolkata has been dug up to repair the underground drainage network.
Faulty drainage causes waterlogging in the area, civic officials said.
The repair work started about three months after former cricketer Sourav Ganguly wrote to Kolkata’s mayor Firhad Hakim “to solve the drainage problem” on Lower Rawdon Street, where a “good shower results in enormous waterlogging”.
Ganguly has a 23.6-cottah plot with a two-storey building on Lower Rawdon Street.
A Kolkata Municipal Corporation team has dug up a 10ft-deep crater, which is almost 4ft wide, at the intersection to replace a pipe with one that has a bigger diameter.
The aim is to ensure faster draining out of rainwater from pockets around the intersection, including Lower Rawdon Street.
“The underground pipe, that draws rainwater from the area around Lower Rawdon Street, was in a dilapidated state and less than a foot in diameter. We have decided to replace it with a pipeline that is almost 2ft in diameter,” said a senior engineer of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s drainage department.
Last May, Ganguly had purchased the property at 8/1A Lower Rawdon Street at an estimated price of Rs 40 crore.
He wrote in the letter to the mayor: “I am writing this letter to bring to your notice the present situation of the drainage of this area. With the present drainage system of the locality a good shower results in enormous waterlogging in the entire area.”
Senior KMC official said that when the AJC Bose Road flyover (which was opened to traffic in 2003) was built, the sewer lines under it were damaged. That affected the drainage of rainwater from neighbouring areas, including Lower Rawdon Street.
The flyover passes right over the intersection of AJC Bose Road and Rawdon Street.
“After the repairs, the water will drain out into the main brick sewer that lies beneath AJC Bose Road. This sewer carries the rainwater to the Palmer Bazar pumping station,” the engineer said.
The police said they have asked the team at work to wrap up repairs by May 22.
“No extension of blockade will be allowed since the intersection of Rawdon Street and AJC Bose Road is a vital junction to ensure smooth traffic,” said an officer.
