Kolkata Drowns: Tragic Funeral Procession Exposes City's Drainage Catastrophe, Fuels Political Firestorm

Kolkata, the City of Joy, has once again been submerged in sorrow and despair, its iconic streets transforming into treacherous waterways. A deeply unsettling visual, now viral, captures the raw anguish of a family performing the most solemn of rites: carrying a deceased loved one for cremation, not on a peaceful path, but through waist-deep, murky floodwaters.

This heart-wrenching spectacle has become the undeniable, tragic emblem of the city's perennial monsoon misery, exposing the gaping wounds in its urban infrastructure.

Following incessant, torrential downpours that lashed the metropolis, several areas, including some of its most prominent localities like Kalighat, Behala, and Hatibagan, found themselves battling an unprecedented deluge.

Over 100 mm of rain in just hours brought Kolkata to a standstill, disrupting daily life, forcing school closures, and even diverting flights, painting a grim picture of urban paralysis.

The harrowing footage, broadcast across national media, instantly ignited a fierce political firestorm. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a blistering attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar minced no words, lambasting the KMC for its alleged corruption and inefficiency. "Kolkata has become a city of ponds and lakes," he declared, lambasting the KMC for what he described as a failure to maintain the city's crucial drainage systems, despite significant funds allocated.

Echoing similar sentiments of outrage, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty pointed directly to government neglect.

He asserted that the city's drainage infrastructure has been systematically ignored, allowing it to deteriorate into its current abysmal state. Both parties called for immediate accountability, questioning the KMC’s preparedness and its long-term strategy for managing Kolkata’s susceptibility to flooding.

Beyond the political rhetoric, the true cost is borne by Kolkata’s residents.

Commuters found themselves stranded, homes were inundated, and the very rhythm of daily life was shattered. The recurring nature of this crisis, year after year, raises fundamental questions about urban planning, disaster preparedness, and the effective utilization of public funds. The viral video serves not just as a poignant record of a single funeral, but as a stark indictment of a system that appears to be failing its citizens repeatedly.

As the waters slowly recede, the image of that grieving family wading through the deluge will remain etched in the public consciousness, a powerful demand for a lasting solution.

Until concrete action is taken to address Kolkata's deep-seated drainage issues, the City of Joy risks becoming known primarily for its annual monsoon heartbreak.