'Clear' divide on either side of Hooghly

KOLLKATA: It is a tale of two ghats. While Bajekadamtala Ghat along the Hooghly (on Strand Road) was sparkling clean on a busy immersion day on Monday, Ramkrishnapur Ghat along Foreshore Road (in Howrah) was extremely dirty , with loads of idol structures lying dumped on the shore. Why this difference?
It is, actually, a tale of two civic bodies. While Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has enhanced and improved upon its immersion logistics, the civic administration in Howrah has failed to live up to the expectations of the Puja organizers.The picture was almost the same last year, but the civic brass in Howrah had promised to improve the immersion logis tics this year.A visit to Ramkrishnapur, however, revealed that despite tall claims by the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) authorities, the immersion scene was as bad as last year. Skeletal staff from HMC were seen struggling to clear the heaps of structures dumped on the bank of the ghat and under the jetty. A solitary crane operator was busy lifting structures that got immersed in the river.
An HMC official conceded that the civic body could not clear three major ghats along the Hooghly , including Ramkrishnapur, for want of infrastructure. “We had serious constraints so far as logistics is concerned.Don't compare us with KMC, as they are much better placed than us,“ the HMC official reasoned. Gautam Chowdhury , HMC's member, mayor-in-council overseeing conservancy , however, said that efforts were being taken to clear Ramkrishnapur ghat of the dumped structures. “We have selected an agency through tender for clearing the ghats after completion of immersion. Give a couple of days, and we will clear all three immersion ghats, including Ramkrishnapur ghat,“ Chowdhury said on Monday .
In sharp contrast, KMC had an elaborate arrangement for the immersion at all major ghats under its jurisdiction.The corporation deployed more than 2,000 volunteers for three major ghats. Of these, Bajekadamtala got the lion's share. As many as 1,500 idols were immersed in the Hooghly through this ghat since September 30, said a KMC parks department official. The ghat remained remarkably clean, since KMC's conservancy department had arranged for 30 trucks at a time to ferry idol structures on Monday . “We are ready with our logistics to keep the ghat clean after the immersion process on Wednesday ,“ said a senior KMC official.