Mayor Firhad Hakim on Tuesday promised to solve some of the old problems of Kolkata in his second term as mayor.
He wants to tackle waterlogging, regulate hawkers, pull down dilapidated buildings and reduce air pollution. All 12 mayoral councils were assigned their departments on Tuesday.
Hakim was sworn in as the 39th mayor of Kolkata, followed by deputy mayor Atin Ghosh. Soon after taking oath, Hakim listed some of his priorities:
Waterlogging
Hakim said six pockets, including Behala, Kidderpore, Amherst Street and Thanthania, were prone to waterlogging. The KMC will install 200 more pumps to drain out water and build new drainage stations where necessary.
“We have sent a list of canals to the irrigation department that need dredging. The department has said they will start work soon,” Hakim said.
Parking
Kolkata Municipal Corporation will launch an app through which any citizen can see available parking slots and book one. This will be done to clip the wings of the parking mafia. “People are charged much more than the approved parking rates. This is extortion,” Hakim said.
The app will display the parking rate and how much one has to pay while taking the car out of the parking slot.
Hawkers
“We will frame a policy for hawkers…. They will be able to sell on pavements but must make their stalls look better. They should stop using black, blue plastic sheets. They should not light fire in their stalls but can use electric ovens,” Hakim said.
Air quality
The mayor said the city’s air quality was a cause of concern and he would like to improve it by expanding the green cover. “Our board will try to increase greenery in every available space so that we can reduce air pollution,” he said.
Dangerous buildings
The KMC will give legal protection to tenants of dilapidated buildings so they get space in the new structures that will come up in place of the crumbling ones.
If multiple owners of an old building are involved in a legal fight over the fate of the structure, the KMC will move court for permission to pull it down.
Complaints
The mayor’s office will have a screen where complaints lodged by Kolkatans through WhatsApp will be displayed.
“If someone sends a picture of the problem he or she is facing, I will be able to see it on the screen. We will send it to the department concerned. When they finish work, we will intimate the complainant,” said Hakim.
The mayor’s WhatsApp number is 9830037493.
He also promised to improve water supply to Jadavpur and Tollygunge. He also said services like mutation, building plan approval, water supply and drainage can be obtained through a mobile application.
