If Mumbai floods this monsoon, blame it on state government, not BMC, says mayor

If Mumbai floods this year, the state government will be answerable and not the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said on Wednesday while visiting various spots in the western suburbs where the civic body has been doing its annual pre-monsoon drain-cleaning work.

Mahadeshwar’s comment comes in the backdrop of the Metro construction work that has blocked several arterial roads across the city. “If Mumbai floods because of Metro work, the BMC should not be held responsible,” he said.

However, with just 15 days left to complete the desilting work, Mahadeshwar also admitted that only 50% of the work has been completed so far. If work is not completed in time, action will be taken against contractors, he said.

Currently, construction work for three Metro lines — Metro2A (between Dahisar and DN Nagar), Metro 3 (Colaba- Bandra- Seepz) and Metro 7 (Dahisar east to Andheri east) — is underway in the city.

This year, the BMC has identified 17 spots across the city, where flooding is likely because of ongoing civil, railway and metro works.

At a meeting, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) are said to have assured the BMC that they will do their best to minimise traffic and flooding issues this monsoon.

Mahadeshwar visited the sites on Wednesday along with standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav and Shiv Sena group leader Vishakha Raut. The Opposition in the BMC has been criticising the administration for the slow pace of the desilting work.