The jet-cum-suction machine that could have reduced the waterlogging in Howrah. Picture by Gopal Senapati A jet-cum-suction machine, worth Rs 24 lakh, has been lying idle at the Howrah Municipal Corporation, while several stretches of the town remain inundated. Civic engineers said the accumulated water could have been drained out from several areas had the machine been pressed into service. Mayor Gopal Mukherjee said the machine could not be deployed as there were no operators. "We have decided to appoint an agency to operate it. The agency operates the jet-cum-suction machine of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation,' said Mukherjee. He, however, denied that the machine could have helped drain out the water. Contradicting the mayor's claim, a civic engineer said: "Some pockets in central and north Howrah are still waterlogged as the drains have got choked. The jet-cum-suction machine could have cleared the drains.' The Howrah civic body bought the machine in April. Till last year, it used to borrow one from the Calcutta Municipal Corporation at a daily rent of Rs 3,000. The machine has two tanks with a capacity of 4,500 litres and 3,500 litres. There are four nozzles, which can penetrate 150 feet into an underground drain. Civic chief engineer Bijan Chakraborty said: "Operating a jet-cum-suction machine is a specialised job. A technically sound supervisor is a must who can rightly judge the sewerage line.'