Briefly State

Teen goes missing
A 19-year-old student of Park Institution in Shyambazar was reported missing on Friday after she reportedly learnt that she would not be allowed to appear for the Class XII Board examinations due to poor performance. Sayantani Guha,a resident of Kankurgachi wanted to be a fashion designer. After she failed to qualify for the exams,she was scolded by her father,” said a police officer.

To measure water received,civic body to install meters

To sort out the issue of amount of water received by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) from the Kolkata Metropolitan Water and Sanitation Authority (KMWSA),the civic body has decided to install three water meters in Garden Reach Waterworks.

KMC officials hope that with the meter installation,scheduled for December 19,they can measure the exact quantity of water received – a point which has often been argued by the two agencies.

While the authority claims to supply 91 million gallons of water per day to the Garden Reach Waterworks,the KMC maintains that it receives not more than 75 million gallons of water per day.

Incidentally,the KMWSA and the KMC have been at loggerheads for the past few years over clearance of dues. According to sources,the KMC is yet to pay Rs 300 crore to the KMWSA.

A senior civic official,however,said: “The exact quantity of water received cannot be determined as there is no mechanism to measure the quantity of water.”

The Garden Reach Waterworks,owned by KMWSA,supplies water to areas in south Kolkata,Behala,Garden Reach and also to some areas in the Maheshtala and Budge Municipality.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya,meanwhile,said nine water meters will be installed in various phases at the Garden Reach Waterworks at a cost of around Rs 2 crore.

While 40 per cent of the installation cost will be borne by the State government,the KMC will bear 30 per cent of the cost and the KMWSA will pay for the remaining 30 per cent.