Remal-ready housing complexes keep damage at bay

KOLKATA: Residents of the city’s gated communities, who had taken steps to combat the impact of cyclone Remal on Sunday, woke up to relief on Monday. The storm had not wreaked havoc in the housing societies like what they had experienced after Amphan four years ago. However, some of the complexes in low-lying areas were inundated due to the night-long downpour. But residents took initiatives to drain the water in a short time.

At Siddha Pines in Rajarhat, four full grown trees and a few small ones were uprooted. Manav Mehra, president of the complex’s residents’ welfare association, said, “The wind felled some trees in an open air parking lot on our premises. In the morning, the residents came together to remove the trees. However, since on Sunday we had asked residents to ensure that no car was parked outside, none was damaged by the trees.”

“We kept only one lift open in each block on Sunday night and locked the electrical rooms and terrace gates to prevent rainwater from entering the buildings. Several lifts had been damaged during Amphan. This time, we stepped up precautions that resulted in zero damage of property on the premises,” Mehra added.

At some housing complexes, residents had secured trees with ropes to ensure they didn’t fall because of the rain and wind.

Rajesh Kumar, president of the Resident’s Core Committee in Silver Spring, said, “There was no damage on our campus due to the cyclone as we took several precautionary steps. We even managed to save the trees on our campus. Residents also followed the guidelines circulated in WhatsApp groups.”

Indraneel Chowdhury, a resident of City Centre I Residency, said, “All the trees on our premises were tied properly to prevent them from falling on buildings or cars. Our strategies worked.”

South City Apartment Owners’ Association secretary Manoj Gupta said, “The planning to prevent damage due to the cyclone was more effective this time. Some residents of the top floors did face water seepage because of gaps in window panes. But there was no waterlogging on our campus till the afternoon. But if the rain continues tonight, our campus might be inundated.”

The campus of Urban Sabujayan housing complex at Kalikapur was flooded due to the rain. Arindam Datta, an executive member of the complex’s welfare committee, said, “The cyclone did not inflict damage on our housing society because we had taken precautionary measures. But the heavy rain triggered waterlogging. We are trying to pump the water out.”