2km from E M Bypass, hsg complex residents get set to vote in rural polls

KOLKATA: Areas off E M Bypass under Kheyadaha II gram panchayat are witnessing a real estate boom but the residents rue that they are still deprived of basic civic amenities.
Though the lack of basic infrastructure like roads, piped water and street illumination has drawn the ire of locals, they are going to cast their votes in the upcoming panchayat polls with a hope that the next panchayat body would keep the promises being made during canvassing by different political parties.

Ten mouzas, including areas like Jagatipota, Chak Kolarkhal, Uchchhepota, Kissen Market, Bhagabanpur and parts of Mukundapur, come under the jurisdiction of Kheyadaha II gram panchayat, which is barely a couple of kilometres from E M Bypass.
At Jagatipota, a sprawling housing complex, Urban Sabujayan, and hundreds of standalone apartments have come up on either side of the road. The population of the area has increased to nearly 5,000, almost four times than what it had been in 2013. Real estate developers have given a facelift to the area with their ‘urban’ projects but the residents don’t have access to infrastructure on a par with adjacent KMC areas like Madurdaha, Hossainpur and Anandapur.
“There is none to hear our problems and the panchayat members are hardly seen in the area, except in the poll season. The streets outside our housing complex are in shambles. The situation turns for the worse during monsoon when stepping out of the house is itself a punishment, thanks to the sheer negligence on the part of the panchayat authorities,” said a resident of Urban Sabujayan requesting anonymity.
“Schoolkids wade through flooded streets infested with snakes. The mosquito menace is increasing but there is no dengue prevention drive here. The authorities need to look into these issues,” said Nikhil Sardar, a house owner in Jagatipota. The residents of other areas under Kheyadaha gram panchayat complained about pothole-riddled roads, waterlogging, inadequate street lamps and lack of security for women after sunset.
A stretch of Bhagabanpur Main Road near Kissen Market, near the posh housing complex Urbana, is crying for urgent repairs. Repeated pleas of the residents have fallen on deaf ears of the local authority. “The authorities repaired only half of the stretch some months ago. But that does not give us any respite from jarring rides. When we urged for road repairs in the past, we were told that the panchayat did not have required funds,” said Mukesh Sharma, a resident of Kissen Market.
A section of residents under the gram panchayat has decided to boycott votes, just as some residents are doing in New Town. “The main road that links Kharki, Kantapota, Uchchhepota and Chak Kolarkhal with Jagatipota, Ahalyananar and Mukundapur has been lying in a bad shape for the past five years. More bikers and motorists are using the road now and they often meet with accidents, mostly at night due to the lack of street lamps,” said Dilip Shaw, a resident of Ucchepota.
“Our area comes under Narendrapur PS, which is over 5km away. It is due to the lack of police patrolling that bike-borne miscreants resort to hooliganism and other nuisance. We want the local authorities to ensure safety of women,” added Sabita Majhi, a homemaker at Mukundapur.