Litter gone but grass bears rally brunt

The Maidan looked litter-free on Sunday, a day before it was to be handed back to the local military authorities, but experts said the July 21 rally had seriously damaged the grass. About 1,000 holes had been dug into the Brigade Parade Ground to erect the main multi-layered stage, another stage for reporters and barricades. As it had been raining since the day before, sand was spread over the grass in several areas to check waterlogging. Workers of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s conservancy department have been working since Friday morning to restore the ground. They removed plastic cups and packets, abandoned footwear and earthen cups on the first day of the drive. On Saturday and Sunday, they filled up holes, removed the sand and levelled the field. Metro found most of the holes had been filled up. The ground, especially around the main stage, has become uneven. Large patches of lush green grass have become yellow and lifeless. In parts where the audience gathered, the grass has disappeared. “The immediate clean-up has been satisfactory but the rally has caused more long-term damage, especially to the grass, than any other rally,” said environment activist Subhas Datta, who had visited the Maidan on Saturday. “This was the first time a huge rally was held during a downpour. The spreading of sand to prevent waterlogging has had a disastrous effect on the green cover,” said Datta. The civic workers took restoration tips from the environment activist. “We were initially spreading the accumulated mud and sand evenly on the ground. Datta asked us not to, so that the grass could breathe. We are now scooping out the mud and sand and taking it elsewhere,” said an official who is supervising the clean-up drive. The civic authorities claimed that the army would “get back the Maidan in a better shape than what it was in when it was lent out”. “The garbage has been cleared completely, the holes have been filled. What else is required? It is monsoon, the grass will grow soon,” said mayoral council member (conservancy) Debabrata Majumdar. “We have not yet had any discussion about re-growing the grass. It will re-grow on its own as no damage has been done,” said mayoral council member (parks and gardens) Debasish Kumar.