KMC to speed up Amader Para work for road, water

Kolkata: Officials of several essential services departments of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) have been asked to expedite schemes included under Amader Para Amader Samadhan (APAS) for 144 KMC wards. Some areas of the work where the civic departments are lagging include laying of water supply and drainage pipes, and repairing and repaving of roads. According to a KMC official, not more than 40% of the total projects undertaken are complete. "It is true that some development work under APAS has been hit due to non-availability of materials. For example, repair of roads in some neighbourhoods was delayed due to dearth of hot-mix materials that are being produced at our plants in Beleghata and Taratala. I have asked civic officials to expedite development schemes under APAS," said Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim. According to a KMC official, it was an uphill task to wrap up development work under 4,800 city booths. The state has sanctioned Rs 365 crore for development work in 144 wards, which started in Aug. The state govt has allocated Rs 10 lakh per booth for local development across the state and plans to organize 31,740 camps to cover 80,000 booths, including those in remote and inaccessible areas. CM Mamata Banerjee, who had announced the flagship programme in July, allocated Rs 8,000 crore to ensure success and reach of APAS. Common demands reported across districts include improved water supply, better road infrastructure, installation of street lights, toilets in slum areas, new bus stands and local markets.