Contractors to be paid only after RWA is satisfied with desilting work in Ggm

MCG set up eight teams to ensure that desilting and cleaning of sewers and drains are being properly undertaken across 35 wards in the city

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has decided to release the payments to private contractors for desilting the drains and sewer lines only after receiving a satisfactory report from the respective resident welfare associations (RWAs). Also, they will have to submit before and after pictures of the area while submitting their bills, said officials.

A waterlogged park after monsoon rains in Gurugram. (PTI)

The civic agency on Monday set up eight teams of junior engineers to ensure that desilting and cleaning of sewers and drains are being properly undertaken across 35 wards in the city, said officials.

MCG officials said they have sought RWAs’ help in monitoring private contractors in societies. They have directed the RWAs to keep a check on the cleanliness of drains and sewers in their respective sectors.

PC Meena, MCG commissioner, said they had called a meeting on Monday to discuss the drain and sewer blockages in sectors. “There were complaints from a few areas regarding desilting of drains and irregular waste collection. We have asked them to be in touch with private contractors to resolve issues in their respective areas,” he said.

Meena said officials have shared a list of contractors with RWAs and asked them to monitor the work of those on the list. “We had directed the joint commissioners to inspect the desilting of drains and submit a report. Waterlogging in many areas have raised questions about the quality of desilting work carried out by private contractors. If residents themselves are monitoring the work being carried out, they will know what is happening on the ground and be able to resolve issues,” he said.

Officials said sewers and drains are being cleaned with the help of bucket machines, jetting machines and super sucker machines across the 35 wards. Various private agencies have been engaged to execute the work in different areas every year.

A satisfactory certificate from three members of the RWA is required to make contractors eligible for payments, said the MCG commissioner.

The residents said the initiative will not only make the system transparent and accountable but will also improve the quality, efficiency and delivery of public services in the sectors.

Rajkumar Yadav, RWA president of Sector 45, said no desilting work has been carried out in the area despite writing to the MCG several times this year. “We need urgent attention and if we can get in touch with the contractor, we can show him all the spots so that desilting work can be started at the earliest,” he said.

Joginder Singh, a resident of Sushant Lok-3, said the private contractors raise the bill without completing the task. “At least they will need to obtain satisfactory certificates from RWAs and for that, they will need to visit the affected spots. This initiative will bring a lot of change and waterlogging conditions can be averted in the future,” he said.

Desilting is necessary because waterlogging in Gurugram is an annual persistent problem due to the lack of proper drainage systems and accumulated garbage and silt in the drains. The drains are choked by dust, garbage, silt and other foreign particles, which inhibit the free flow of stormwater during the monsoon leading to waterlogging.