To prevent clogging,BMC to place more dustbins along drains

Laxman Vhatkar,SWD chief engineer,said: “We have found that despite cleaning work every monsoon,there is a huge amount of plastic waste and clothes,which clog nullahs,leading to waterlogging.”

The nullah-cleaning work had begun towards the end of April last year,but this time the civic body is preparing for monsoon well in advance. The nullah-cleaning work started on April 2 and will be completed by June first week.

“This year,the nullah-cleaning work has begun early so that proper assessment of the work can be done,” Vhatkar said.

An official said the BMC will complete 70 per cent of the work before monsoon. The remaining 20 per cent work will be done during monsoon and the remaining after monsoon.

The city has 38 major nullahs,measuring up to 319 km,maintained by SWD. The minor 119 nullahs measuring up to 160 km and the roadside nullahs about 2,000 km long are maintained by seperate ward offices.

The BMC has allocated Rs 75 crore for this year’s pre-monsoon work. This is part of a two-year project worth Rs 152 crore for nullah cleaning,which started last year.

Officials said this year strict measures will be taken to ensure that contractors finish work on time. Last year,corporators and senior party leaders were spotted on nullah-cleaning drives,but this time the political drive is missing.

“Last year,Uddhav Thackeray,Sanjay Nirupam and other leaders had accompanied civic officials on nullah-cleaning drives to spread awareness,” said a senior civic official.