The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has said it will complete a drainage line relaying project by July that promises to address the waterlogging woes of the areas on either side of Syed Amir Ali Avenue.

Over the last two months, a team of engineers from the KMC’s drainage department dug up over 600 metre on Beckbagan Row to relay pipes of varying diameters along one side of the road.

The work of connecting this network to the existing brick sewer underneath Syed Amir Ali Avenue remains to be completed.

After that, the dug-up stretch will be restored and the road will be handed over to police.

“We have now taken up a project to relay the entire underground drainage system of the area so that rain water doesn’t flow towards AJC Bose Road,” said a senior KMC official.

“The deadline to wrap up the work is by July and the project cost is around Rs 66 lakh.”

Over the last few years, a stretch of Beckbagan Row, Circus Market Place and its adjoining areas, including Lower Range Road and Meher Naskar Lane around Park Circus Market opposite the Quest Mall, would remain waterlogged after a mild shower because of the outdated drainage system.

Regulars to the Park Circus Market and officers of Karaya police station said
they would find it difficult to navigate through the accumulated water during the monsoon.

A section of residents of Ahirpukur, the area behind the sweet shop, Mithai, has written to the civic officials several times seeking a respite from the water woes.

Senior engineers of KMC’s drainage department said an old network of underground drainage pipes used to carry the water from Beckbagan and its adjoining areas to AJC Bose Road.

The network was damaged during the construction of the AJC Bose Road flyover and as a result, rainwater would move very slowly resulting in waterlogging.

Relaying the drainage system involves digging underground to lower pipes, channelising the water to flow eastwards towards Syed Amir Ali Avenue instead of west, towards the AJC Bose Road, and finally restoring the road surface.

“Motorists who want to avoid taking Circus Avenue to reach AJC Bose Road from Syed Amir Ali Avenue. We had given traffic blockage in phases for the KMC engineers to complete the laying of pipes. Now traffic moves in a single lane because of the pipe-laying work,” said a senior police officer.

“We have requested the KMC officials to restore the road as early as possible so that it becomes motorable during the monsoon.”

Senior engineers overseeing the work said reversing the flow of water from west to east was being done with the help of three different sets of pipes with diameters varying from 18 inches, 15 inches and 12 inches.

“The diameter of the pipe at the point where it connects to the brick sewer on Syed Amir Ali Avenue is the largest,” the official said.

“The water will move in an inclined plane towards Syed Amir Ali Avenue through the underground network,” the official said.

On Monday, payloaders worked around the dug-up sites filling the underground with soil that remained heaped at one side.

Over the next few weeks, the restoration work will continue before engineers run a trial to check the flow of water along the newly laid network and finally hand over the area to the police.