Pockets of Howrah ‘shine’ with well-lit roads but poor amenities, shut factories still ail township

HOWRAH: The city, which was once called the “Manchester of the East” is now synonymous to shut or ailing industries, jute mills and small-scale factories, most of which find it difficult to survive. The name Howrah conjures up an image of a busy railway station and that of crowded and dirty roads. Even as Howrah Sadar is set to go to polls on May 6, some pockets seem to have given up all hopes of upgrade of civic amenities.
But the divide between what Howrah used to be and what some parts have transformed into is clear.Though the metamorphosis started with the opening of Vidyasagar Setu and the construction and expansion of the 6-km-long Kona Expressway, much before the Trinamool regime, the icing on the cake was deftly spread by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, when she shifted the state secretariat to Nabanna. Opposition parties may prefer to call the “development” cosmetic, but the wide, well-lit roads, special traffic plans to ease jams, the conversion of dumpyards into manicured parks, the high-rises, logistics hubs, shopping malls, national school brands, swanky car showrooms and clubs have added a sheen to the “new Howrah”, which includes West and South Howrah.

But certain chronic problems seem to be here to stay. “Howrah is an old town, with typical problems of open drains, narrow roads, water crisis and traffic congestions. The scene is not much different from that of north Kolkata. It is impossible to solve the problems overnight, just as magical re-opening of shut factories is not possible,” admitted sitting Trinamool MP Prasun Banerjee.
“Lack of civic amenities, the near-collapsed Howrah General Hospital and shut factories are the three pillars of concern of any Howrah election. It is no different this time,” said BJP candidate, journalist-turned-politician Rantideb Sengupta. “I can promise two things: a medical college in Howrah and a small-scale and MSME hub,” he said.
If one goes a little into pockets, like Kona-Tentultala, Peyarabagan, Biradingi, all in the added areas of the Howrah Municipal Corporation, one can see accumulated water is yet to recede from pockets. In prime areas of Bakultala, the lanes that criss-cross Dasnagar, Manasatala, Panchanantala and Belilious Road, one sharp shower means knee-deep waterlogginf and overflowing of drains that invariably contaminates drinking water pipes.
The issue of water scarcity became one of the important topics every time an election was fought, despite it being a civic issue, beyond the purview of an MP, Banerjee claimed. “Still, we have augmented the water supply from Puddapukur to 70% and have built overhead reservoirs at vantage points, most of which have started working. But it will be some time before the waterworks function full fledged,” said Banerjee, adding he was also helping build a water project at Sankrail. But he pointed out the councillors’ work was being thrust upon the MP because the councillors had completed their five-year tenure and the civic body was long overdue for its polls. Residents now have to go to the MLAs for their daily needs.
The Sankrail assembly segment has witnessed polarisation following a communal flare-up at Dhulagarh. Ever since, BJP has reportedly been gaining grounds there. Trinamool MLA Sital Sardar is nowhere to be seen. The situation at Panchla is similar. Trinamool MLA Gulshan Mullick has not been taking any initiative following a tiff with Trinamool leaders, prompting the party to depute others to nurse Panchla. Polarisation is also evident at the former CPM bastion Bally, that has a sizable refugee population.