Permanent resettlement plan for flood prone areas soon: Mayor
Mayor Agartala Municipal Corporation Dipak Majumder on Wednesday said that a plan is under consideration to resettle people living in flood prone areas, especially in the sensitive areas located on the banks of river Haora which flows along the Agartala city.
“We want a permanent solution to this problem. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has also expressed his concerns over the recurring issue of floods in the city and its outskirts, particularly, areas near the banks of river Haora. If the people living in the floor prone areas could be resettled through an alternative housing scheme, we shall be able to mitigate the impact of the floods,” Majumder told a cable TV channel.
Stating that the flood management system of Agartala city is being overhauled. “When the BJP came to power, the city had only 12 pumps to flush out water from the city areas. The number of pumps had been increased to 17. We have identified three new locations in the city where water gets stuck after a few hours of intense rain. From these areas, we have plans to install three new pumps. Apart from that, cover drains with enhanced water bearing capacity,” said Majumder.
He also appealed to the residents of the city to be aware of their own responsibilities as well. “Around 45 percent of the city dwellers don’t pay taxes on time. They don’t subscribe to the garbage collection system we have introduced. Ignorant of basic civic sense, people throw plastic materials on open drains that create congestion and water doesn’t pass smoothly during heavy rains. It is the collective responsibility of the whole society. Even if only 60 percent of people are paying tax, we can’t discriminate when extending services. We can’t say that this individual is not paying taxes so he shouldn’t have access to city infrastructure,” he pointed out.
According to the Mayor, the budget allocation for curbing mosquito menace had been increased five times. “We are procuring more fogging machines. Around 65 water bodies that were once breeding grounds of mosquitoes had been developed under city development schemes. The water of these water bodies is now clean. There was a time when these water bodies turned into dumping yards for the people living in the vicinity,” he added.
Majumder also further stated that once the ongoing cover drain projects are completed, the water-logging issue will be resolved to great extent. “Even today, if water accumulates in the low-lying areas, it recedes in record time. The difference could be felt easily,” he said.
