Kolkata flooded after six hours of unprecedented rain, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed it partly on the garbage dumped on roads, which, she said, interfered with the drainage system and urged the people to have some civic sense. She also said one of the families who demanded Rs 5 lakh from the state for the rain-related death of their relative, cannot evade their responsibility in the matter.
"A drainage system needs to be put in place. Many people throw garbage in front of the drains. We also need to bring back a little civic consciousness. There is a lot of garbage and construction materials in the Salt Lake area for the Metro work. The Metro was requested in advance to remove them and clean them during the Puja," she said.
"If we don't have drainage, it is not possible for us to do so much alone. We are giving 2 lakh rupees to the families of those who died yesterday. Someone has asked us to give 5 lakh rupees. They too cannot deny their responsibility," she added.
Ten people had died in the rain-related events post-midnight on Tuesday. The city woke to waterlogged streets and heavy rain. Air, road and rail traffic remained disrupted the whole morning.
Ms Banerjee had accused power utility CESC of negligence, in view of the deaths due to electrocution in Kolkata and nearby areas. The discom has disowned responsibility, saying that the deaths were unrelated to its network.
"When I go to Navanna, I go to see how much water there is in the Ganga. A few days ago, I saw the Ganga overflowing. I was looking into why so much water is being released. Then I heard that water from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is also coming here," Ms Banerjee said today.
"If they (the DVC) gives these things to us in advance, we can take action. It doesn't do that either," she added.
