On September 23, Kolkata received rainfall of about 252 mm rainfall in a span of just 6-7 hours, which led to flooding and the deaths of nine people in the city and its adjoining districts. Eight of the deaths occurred in Kolkata alone. All the victims — most of them street vendors and security guards — were electrocuted in the waterlogged streets of the metropolis after coming in contact with an exposed electrical source. As the city limps back to normalcy, the question that everyone is asking is, who is responsible for these deaths?
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the Calcutta Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) for the deaths and said that it should award compensation to the kin of the deceased as the death was due to its negligence. She added that she reached out to CESC chairman Sanjiv Goenka on the issue. CESC, which is a flagship company of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, has a monopoly over power distribution in Kolkata and several adjoining areas. The company did not publicly respond to her allegations, but said a statement on social media that “street light poles and traffic lights are not owned, maintained or managed by the CESC”.
Ms. Banerjee also blamed the Union government’s lack of initiative in carrying out dredging at the Farakka Barrage, almost 300 kilometres upstream on the river Ganga, for water logging in the city.
According to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the estimated population of the city is 4.5 million. Kolkata also sustains a floating population of about 6 million. It has done little to upgrade its infrastructure, however. From falling flyovers to roads filled with craters, the city is crumbling.
Until a few decades ago, Kolkata had an elaborate network of creeks and canals that would pump sewage into the East Kolkata Wetlands. However, these structures have been filled up. Illegal constructions have come up and have choked the sewerage and drainage network of the city.
In February 2025, the Asian Development Bank approved a $200 million loan for a project to develop a climate- and disaster-resilient sewerage and drainage system in Kolkata, but no action can be seen on the ground yet.
Blaming a private company such as the CESC or Central government agencies such as the Farakka Barrage and the Damodar Valley Corporation is an attempt by the State government to deflect accountability. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the government will have to take responsibility for the loss of lives, which was clearly avoidable.
Ms. Banerjee also indicated that the arrangement of electricity supply by the CESC to Kolkata was operational since the regime of the Left Front government. But her government has not done enough to change the status quo in the last 14 years.
In May 2020, when a super cyclone, Amphan, ravaged Kolkata leaving about 100 dead in the State, the Chief Minister stormed into the CESC office and blamed the electricity supply corporation for mismanagement. Five years later, it has stuck to the same script. In fact, lack of accountability has become a hallmark of the Trinamool Congress regime. Unless there is admission of a lapse, no corrective measures can be taken. The issue will simply be brushed under the carpet until the next disaster.
The government was quick to announce compensation of ₹2 lakh to the kin of the deceased. Ms. Banerjee also urged the CESC to provide compensation of ₹5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. Monetary compensation can provide temporary succour to the grieving families, but it cannot improve the crumbling civic infrastructure of the city. While Ms. Banerjee was prompt in announcing compensation, she has not said anything on the registration of FIRs and on starting a probe into the deaths.
The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said that Haldia Energy, a group company of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, was the second highest donor to the Trinamool through electoral bonds. The company donated about ₹281 crore, he noted. Mr. Adhikari added that he would ensure that FIRs are registered. He also accused the Chief Minister of hurting Hindu sentiments by inaugurating puja pandals ahead of Mahalaya, which he claimed had caused the natural disaster.
The residents of Kolkata deserve not only better civic infrastructure, but more accountability and a rational discourse on the challenges they face.
Published – September 25, 2025 01:20 am IST
