With the monsoon approaching, Mumbai has begun an urgent push to clean its drainage network to prevent flooding across the city.
A review meeting on the pre-monsoon desilting of drains was held earlier last week at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters under the chairpersonship of Mayor Ritu Tawde.
The meeting focused on the progress of desilting works across major and minor drains in Mumbai and the steps required to complete the work before the onset of the rainy season.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, Leader of the House Ganesh Khankar, Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde, Education Committee Chairperson Rajeshree Shirwadkar, Improvement Committee Chairperson Sandhya Doshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Avinash Dhakane were present along with civic officials from various departments.
During the meeting, the Mayor directed officials to ensure that desilting of both major and minor drains across Mumbai is completed before the monsoon.
She emphasised the need for effective use of manpower and resources so that the work is finished within the stipulated timeline.
Officials were instructed to maintain coordination between ward offices and the central agencies executing the works.
The administration was also asked to regularly inform elected representatives and corporators about the progress of each stage of the desilting operations.
To improve transparency, instructions were issued to install information boards at worksites where drain cleaning is underway. These boards will display key details such as the length and width of the drain, the quantity of silt being removed, the duration of the work, the name of the contractor and the contact details of the responsible engineer.
The Mayor also directed that silt removed from drains must be disposed of within 48 hours. In addition, all stages of the process – from silt removal to its disposal at the landfill site – will be documented through photography and videography to ensure accountability.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar briefed the meeting on the progress of ongoing works being carried out by the Storm Water Drains Department and the Roads and Traffic Department.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Sharma instructed all assistant municipal commissioners and deputy commissioners to strictly implement the directives issued during the meeting.
Officials were also asked to maintain communication with corporators and promptly address any complaints related to the works.
