Mumbaikars should brace themselves for another year of water-logging this monsoon as only 50% of the city’s nullahs have been cleaned and de-silted.
The revelation came at the general body meeting of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday, when leaders from all parties lashed out at the civic body for not
completing the nullah work this year. Leader of opposition and Congress MLA Rajhans Singh was the first to raise the issue.
“We are only indulging in a blame game and the administration is gaining from it. Only 50% work has been completed in minor and major nullahs. If Mumbai floods, only the BMC will be held responsible for it. The standing committee has given a two-year tender to contractors. Instead of visiting the nullahs all year, we only visit them when the monsoon approaches,” Singh said.
Making an obvious dig at Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena’s executive president, Niyaz Vanu, NCP leader, said, “Can a helicopter visit measure the silt accumulated below. That’s what the Sena did, observed nullah work from a helicopter. With a Rs72-crore contract given, the Sena-BJP alliance should take responsibility or else there’s bound to be flooding this monsoon.”
Vanu said nullah work in areas like JK Chemical nullah, Gandhi market area at King’s Circle and Antop Hill, which is the mayor’s constituency, are left incomplete.
Leader of the house and Sena’s Sunil Prabhu admitted that all major nullahs had not been yet been de-silted.
“This year there’s a forecast of heavy monsoon. Mithi, Poisar and Dahisar rivers have been widened. There are pumping stations at Irla and Haji Ali, but all the major nullahs are not de-silted,” Prabhu said.
