West Bengal's Panihati paralyzed by chronic waterlogging, industries shuttered

Ankle-deep water stretches for 500 meters outside the gates of Texmaco Rail & Engineering Ltd., a scene repeated across Panihati Municipality after every moderate shower. For months, this waterlogged reality has brought industrial activity to a grinding halt, submerging factories, markets, and homes in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

Factories forced to pause production

Texmaco's security guards wade through knee-deep water in gumboots, rolling their pants up while six units stand silent behind them. The company's managing director Sudipta Mukherjee admits work remains suspended for weeks due to waterlogging. "Even a minimal amount of rain can cause issues," he says, describing how August's rainfall forced another week-long closure. Before that, units were shut for over a month.

The story repeats at Swalka Kel Pvt. Limited and Jindal Group Pipe Manufacturing Plant just meters away. Meanwhile, at Sen Bajar market, shopkeepers arrange extra tables and chairs to keep vegetables and fish above water that submerges their floors. They barely see customers when roads become rivers.

"The waterlogging is resulting in severe losses for us. I have been living here for the last 50 years. The situation was not as bad earlier; it has deteriorated in the last one or two decades" - Deepak Saha, secretary of Sen Bajar shopowners' association

Decades of deterioration, decades of appeals

Local activist Debasish Dutta has sent countless letters to BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul. "I suffered attacks during the previous regime when I kept protesting," he reveals. His house, like thousands of others, lies submerged for months with nobody taking note.

Residents blame illegal construction, encroachment on railway land, and absent sewage management for worsening conditions with each passing monsoon. The municipality itself operates under an administrator after local councillors resigned.

Official response and lingering hopes

A senior urban development officer says a detailed report was sought from Panihati Municipality last month regarding the drainage system. "We are reviewing the situation. A report is also being prepared. Necessary steps will be taken," promises a municipal engineer.

Dutta recently wrote to the Chief Minister's advisor Subrata Gupta, seeking an appointment to discuss the crisis with business representatives. He captures the irony perfectly: "The BJP government wants to revive West Bengal as a destination of industries, however existing industrial units are having to suspend operation due to water logging."