Kolkata: State urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul inspected road repair and civic infrastructure work in South Kolkata’s Southern Avenue, Gariahat and Golpark areas on Tuesday, directing officials of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to ensure that footpaths are cleared of encroachment and unauthorised parking, and that uneven road surfaces in some spots are levelled before Puja. The minister also directed officials to clean up the manholes and gully pits at the earliest.While checking on ongoing road repair progress accompanied by KMC officials, the minister spotted an uneven road segment caused by a raised manhole cover, noting it posed a skidding risk for two-wheelers. She directed local civic authorities to level the spot immediately.“Today I inspected the repair work of various pavements and the condition of manholes in Borough No. 8 area. I have instructed the authorities concerned to quickly complete the cleaning of all manholes that need to be cleared before Puja and the repair of pavements that require urgent restoration. In order to ensure that common people can commute safely and smoothly, I have also directed that the necessary works be completed before Puja with speed and by maintaining proper quality standards,” Paul posted on social media.During her visit around Gariahat and Golpark areas, Paul noted some shopkeepers keeping extra merchandise outside their stores and on road edges, narrowing the usable footpath space.“While inspecting the areas adjacent to Gariahat and Golpark, I noticed that some shops have kept some of their extra items by the roadside, thereby occupying a portion of the road. Along with this, parking of bikes on the road is also creating problems for vehicular movement. I have requested the shopkeepers and local residents concerned—just as pavements should not be occupied, similarly no part of the road should be occupied under any circumstances. It is my sincere appeal to everyone not to keep extra shop items on the road and not to park bikes or other vehicles anywhere and everywhere,” Paul said in a social media post.
