Govt merges KIT, KMWSA with KMDA

In a major move, the state government on Thursday merged the century-old Kolkata Improvement Trust (KIT) and Kolkata Metropolitan Water and Sanitation Authority (KMWSA) with Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).

Firhad Hakim, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister on Thursday, placed the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning and Development) Bill, 2017 which was unanimously passed in the Assembly. As a result, the Kolkata Improvement Trust Act, 1911 and Kolkata Metropolitan Water and Sanitation Act, 1966 are repealed.

Hakim said the two organisations had been merged for efficient management and execution and bring them under one umbrella. " There will be better coordination and speedier execution of development work and their maintenance," he said.

Lashing out at the Opposition, Hakim said that during the three decades of CPI(M) rule, no attempts had been made to restructure these two organisations. "CPI(M) used to sell land of KMDA at throwaway prices and the KIT had virtually become defunct." There are 419 staffs and 200 engineers in KIT but they do not practically have any work. They used to come to office, gossip for the whole day and got the salary at the end of the month. The Bill will reduce overhead expenditure," he maintained.

KIT was set up in 1911 by the British Government and it was one of the earliest development agencies in the country. It had carried out massive development work in Kankurgachi, Keyatala by constructing roads and making arrangement for drinking water in the 1930s. It had constructed two artificial lakes, namely, Ballygunge Lake and Subhas Sarobar in the late 1930s. It had also constructed housing complexes for people belonging to lower and middle income groups. In the late 1950s, KIT had constructed the first hostel for working women in the city. KIT also constructed two markets Dakshinapan in South Kolkata and Utteraparan off Ultadanga. It had also constructed several roads that include Chittaranjan Avenue and Prince Anwar Shah Road. The organisation used to be headed by an ICS officer during the British period and by a senior IAS officer as chairman after Independence.

The KIT started losing importance in the late 1980s, when Buddahadeb Bhattacharjee became the state Urban Development minister in 1987. Despite having qualified engineers and draftsmen, it was not asked to make planning during the Left Front regime. Over the years, the organisation became a financial liability to the state government.

Similarly, KMWSA was set up in 1966 to set up a water lifting station at Gardenreach. This was the second lifting station in the city after Palta which was set up by the British, shortly after Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. Like, KIT, KMWSA also lost importance. The maintenance of the Garden Reach water supply station is now being looked after by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Hakim said the engineers of the agencies would be now utilised better. The properties under KIT like the markets and housing complexes would be maintained properly.