Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

Salt Lake Requires ‘Keep Clean’ Drive

Posted : February 23, 2006 at 4:48 am [IST]

Today is the last day of my stay here at AJIRA. It was a little longer stay this time. In absence of Yamuna, it has been troublesome too, as it was yesterday. I took a juice that was lying in fridge for more than 10-12 hours. And by evening, I was so sick that I had to call doctor. Watchful self-discipline is absolutely essential at this age.

While working on laptop, I am seeing the school building that has come up in front of AJIRA. I am also hearing the prayer that is going on in ‘Begum Bokaya Smriti Balika Vidyalaya- the girl school. Why was it essential to have this school building right in residential area without leaving sufficient space all around? How the residents close to the school will be taking it? The authority allowing the school must have overlooked it, perhaps under political pressure. It is not a school meant for the locality. The students come in buses from distant places.

And then as I walk past the government buildings- past Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority’s Unnayan Bhawan, Mayukh Bhawan, Jal Sanshadhan Bhawan, and Bikash Bhawan, I find filthy stalls of all sorts on the walking tracks in front of the buildings. Is it something being humane to poor vendors? Perhaps we have become too immune to see the filth. I wish some of the IAS officers having offices in these buildings could have taken some initiatives to remove these under whatever pretext and made them look decent. After all, this is the so-called ‘down town’ of Salt lake.

On the same road when I move just a little ahead, I find the City Centre that has come up recently. I find a place that is being maintained at world-class level. Is it because the ownership is private?
CM Buddha is going ahead fast with ‘Change Bengal’ programme. On Feb. 21, in a single day I find him laying foundation stones for two huge hospitals. As promised by Ratan Tata himself present at the function, Tata Medical Centre (Cancer Hospital) on a 16-acre plot in Rajarhat will be operative by 2007. 50% beds will be reserved for poor. While laying the foundation stone for another 500-bed private hospital by Eastern India Healthcare Foundation off EM Bypass, CM talked of his twin-therapy mode meaning bringing in private hospitals and improving the conditions of government hospitals. I wish he could real do something about the government hospitals and their doctors. One huge one is in Salt Lake itself, where you shall hardly find any one working. Can you imagine doctor interns working for Rs 8000 a month for years? While CM promises all help to new projects, he promised, “We are taking stock of the deficiencies in the government hospitals. We are also looking at the commitment levels of doctors and negligence to duties would be dealt with firmly.”

I wish CM could keep his promises and I could have seen some evidences of that in my next visit to Salt Lake.

From Feb. 24, I shall be in Noida.

- Indra

Category: Government Policy/Administration |