Kolkata: To reduce pollution in the city, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has joined hands with West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) in distribution of smokeless chullahs to replace coal or wood as fuel for cooking or ironing of clothes.
Member-Mayor-in-Council of Environment department, Swapan Sammadar recently distributed 300 smokeless chullahs to 300 odd people in Ward 56 of KMC. Samaddar is the councillor of the ward.
Mayor Firhad Hakim marked the beginning of the initiative through token handing over of such chullahs to some beneficiaries. “The advancement of civilisation is being accompanied by the challenge of combating pollution. Development work and efforts to save the environment will have to go parallely. We will eventually distribute smokeless chullahs in the entire city,” said Samaddar.
He urged people to send requests for such chullahs to his department. “It is true that Kolkata’s pollution level is better when it comes to most A1 cities in the country. But we are committed to improve it further,” he added.
Samaddar has appealed to councillors of all 144 wards under the KMC to identify people in their respective wards who use coal or wood fuel so those can be replaced with smokeless chullahs.