On this day, John Eliot, magistrate of the suburbs of Calcutta, who contributed in a major way towards establishing the city’s drainage, wrote in a minute that in the sketch of the drain submitted to the Lottery Committee, certain spots have been described as “water”. But these spots were the very opposite of water and had to be removed. These were filth.

The sketch was of the “great Simleah drain”, which would run west to east from Chitpore Road to Circular Road. This was amongst the dirtiest and unhealthiest parts of the city then. The project would be undertaken by the Lottery Committee, set up that year to fund public projects.

It was decided that an old watercourse in the area would be reopened as the new drain.

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