During an inspection by the deputy chief engineer on May 7, the official found that only 34 per cent of silt removal was carried out. A warning letter asking the contractor to expedite the work was issued on the same day. (Representational)Ahead of the upcoming monsoon season, underperforming desilting contractors have come under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) radar, prompting the civic body to issue notices for delay in carrying out desilting in the island city.
As per the conditions issued by the BMC, the contractors must complete 50 per cent of the desilting of nullahs ahead of the monsoon. Officially, the monsoon season in Mumbai begins in June. Mumbai Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal had in April instructed contractors to double the manpower and machinery and complete the 50 per cent desilting work by May 15.
During an inspection by the deputy chief engineer on May 7, the official found that only 34 per cent of silt removal was carried out. A warning letter asking the contractor to expedite the work was issued on the same day. “However, no improvement was found in the last four days. The progress was found to be slow, that is 1-2 per cent daily. You cannot achieve the target quantity of 50 per cent before May 15 as per the aforesaid directions of the municipal commissioner before May 31 with such slow progress. This is a very serious lapse and negligence,” the notice said.
The notice has further asked the contractor to explain why actions such as termination of the contract, carrying out the remaining work at risk, and cost deregistration and blacklisting should not be initiated within seven days. The notice further said that if no communication is received within the stipulated time, action will be initiated without any intimation.
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According to the infrastructure department, there are five rivers and 309 major nullahs across Mumbai. While major nullahs have a total length of 290 km, 508 minor nullahs are totalling 605 km. Apart from these, the city also has 2,004-km-long small side drains and gutters.
The BMC has also started uploading details on the ongoing desilting of nullahs on its website. Besides checking the work progress, residents can also file a complaint about uncleaned nullahs. The updates can be seen on https://swd.mcgm.gov.in/wms2022.
So far, the BMC has completed desilting work in 45 per cent nullahs and the remaining work will be completed by May 15, officials said.
This year, the BMC has approved nullah cleaning proposals worth Rs 162 crore.
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