‘20 spots in city will be flooded this monsoon’

Mayor Dr Shubha Raul says problem spots persist, even though BMC has spent Rs 48 crore to clear drains

hey have promised to install pumps to drain out excess rainwater and to put up warning signs in areas with water logging, but the BMC has failed yet again – despite spending Rs 48 crore on the cleaning and widening of nullahs – to ensure a floodfree monsoon for the city.
    And this revelation has been made by none other than Mumbai Mayor Dr Shubha Raul, who said at least 20 spots in the city will suffer from flooding this monsoon.
    Raul made the disclosure to Mumbai Mirror after a meeting called by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan at Mantralaya on Monday. Representatives of all utilities in the city were present at the meeting, which was held after an ugly spat between the BMC and the MMRDA over the monsoon preparedness of the city.
    "It will take at least two years to clean and widen all nullahs. Due to the multiple authorities and their complex nature of work, not all nullahs were cleaned properly. The BMC is trying to coordinate with MHADA, MMRDA, Airport Authority of India, Railways and the Public Works Department," she said.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Raul was able to give details of some of the problem spots. At Bimbisar Nagar in Goregaon, she said, a sewage line has been ruptured but has not been repaired by the concerned authority.
    Therefore, when it rains heavily, it will overflow, leading to flooding in the area. At LBS marg, there are 11 culverts that could not be cleaned because a complex network of utilities is present at the site.
    Airport Authority of India representatives, who were also present at the meeting, explained that they could not clean and widen a nullah in their territory because of illegal encroachments as well as a network of utilities, but said they plan on shifting these utilities before next monsoon.
WHAT BMC WILL DO NOW
A senior civic official revealed that while 60 per cent of nullah cleaning work has been completed, the remaining will be done by May 24.
    Commenting on the precautions the BMC will take, the official said, "We will put up signs warning of flooding at spots where nullahs have not been cleaned. Additional pumps, machinery and staffers will be deployed. The BMC will issue warning notices to all residents of flood-prone areas, and has even started 11 hotlines to attend to complaints."
    Raul said that CM Chavan suggested the governing bodies, including MMRDA and BMC, put aside their differences and work together on a war footing during the rains. "Our meeting with the CM was very fruitful. The BMC has prepared an emergency plan and a search and rescue team is in place to help citizens during flooding," concluded Raul.
BMC WANTED CONSULTANTS TO SUPERVISE CLEANING OF DRAINS
GEETA DESAI
    The BMC had sought to appoint third party auditors to oversee the cleaning of city drains at a cost of Rs 1 crore. However, the proposal has been rejected by BMC's standing committee, saying it would suggest that civic staff and contractors had not been doing their job right.
    The civic administration had said before the standing committee that it receives several complaints every year from citizens who cite instances of substandard work done by contractors.
    The standing committee, which includes senior corporators from all political parties, rejected the proposal, saying the third party audit would signify that civic officials are not doing their duty.
    "The work started a year ago. Now, with only 15 days left for the monsoon, if we need private auditors, should we presume that our officers have done no work at all?" said Sunil Prabhu, leader of the house and Shiv Sena corporator.
    Justifying the proposal, additional municipal commissioner R A Rajeev said, "We were trying to make the system more transparent."

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