The river development authority is not buying MMRDA claims that second phase is almost over
The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has claimed that 19 lakh cubic metres of silt has been removed from Mithi River and the second phase of desilting has almost been completed.
But the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority (MRDPA) — responsible for the clean-up of the river — has reservations over the claims of the MMRDA.
As per a press statement issued by the MMRDA recently, after the completion of the first phase, which included widening, desilting and removal of rocks, the second phase is also on the verge of completion. But sources in the MMRDA revealed that there are a number of loopholes in the work that has been done.
According to a senior MMRDA official, the daily labour report filed by the officials concerned has many mistakes. “The MMRDA is carrying out rock blasting at Mahim causeway. This blasting, which is carried out under water, requires police permission as well as permission from the Centre for Water and Power Research Station, Pune (CWPRS). But these permissions do not appear in the reports. Also, the details related to the number of machines used, number of labourers who have worked, are also
missing from the report,” claimed an official.
The authority has also claimed that it has removed 19 lakh cubic metres of silt in the second phase. “It is unfortunate that the MMRDA has paid for removing 2 lakh cubic metres of rock; while in fact it has removed only 90,000 cubic metres of rock,” claimed the official.
When asked about the progress of Mithi work, Dr Vikas Tondvalkar, project director of the MRDPA, said the work has to be carried out as per the guidelines of the CWPRS. “The Mithi authority is thinking of appointing an outside agency to review the progress of the work being carried out by the MMRDA. This agency will either be the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay or Veer Mata Jeejabai Technological Institute (VJTI). Once the independent agency sends us a report, then only we can say that the work has been completed successfully,” he said.
s_ninad@dnaindia.net
