In the wake of protests in various parts of Kolkata demanding restoration of power and water supply after Amphan snapped cables and uprooted trees, Ms Banerjee today slammed the political parties for instigating people by doing petty politics and criticised CESC for their inability to restore services.
Nonetheless Ms Banerjee clarified that shortage of manpower following lockdown has delayed CESC in restoration work. She said that many CESC technicians could not return from their homes and a layman cannot be engaged for the task as restoration of electrical lines is a specialised job.
Hitting out at political parties, Ms Banerjee said that one should not instigate people by doing petty politics during such a crisis.
“I request with folded hands, please don’t do anything to stop or delay the restoration work. “During Aila, I visited the affected areas as an Opposition leader but never criticised the then Left Front government. Please do not disturb the relief work. I can only request but cannot put someone behind the bar for negative publicity like the Uttar Pradesh government,” Ms Banerjee told at a press conference in Nabanna.
She said that in Chennai and Odisha, power supply remained suspended for several days while in Bengal the government was being criticised as power could not be restored in two days. She appealed to people to have patience. Our teams will work overnight and are doing their level best to restore normalcy, she added. She said that she has spoken to Sanjeev Goenka, chairman of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, for restoring services.
“There is no other agency in the city apart from CESC that can be engaged for the work. What will I do? Shall I beat them up or shall I beg before them?” she questioned. Earlier, speaking at the administrative meeting in South 24 Parganas Ms Banerjee said: “The CESC is a private agency and was engaged during Left Front regime. This is not a government organization. We are regularly coordinating with CESC. CESC has to work in war-like situation. Even in my house the television is not working but I have no complain. There is no use accusing someone else,” she said.
Ms Banerjee has asked CESC to hire 150 generators for areas that are without electricity and water supply till the system is restored. The government has arranged 80 to 90 generators, she added. Ms Banerjee said that few areas in the city are without power and some people are using the occasion for doing negative publicity against the government.
Ms Banerjee said that as many people have gone home due to lockdown only 25 to 50 per cent of the manpower are doing the power restoration work. “You have to understand the ground level problem. I’ve asked the mayor to engage local youths and clubs to clear debris from the roads,” she said.
Reiterating that it was not the time to do politics but to do work, Ms Banerjee said that in some places incidents of people complaining against CESC is being portrayed as demonstration. KMC commissioner Khalil Ahmed has been transferred and Binod Kumar posted in his place, she said adding that it is foolish to think that the world would change in a day.
State government has set up West Bengal State Disaster Management Authority (A Society registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961). Ms Banerjee has sought help from all citizens for fighting the crisis. The account is in ICICI BANK and the details are A/c no 628001041066, Address: 8/1 Hardatrai Chamaria Road. HOWRAH. The IFSC ICIC0006280 and Micr code 700229010.