Mithi desilting kicks off after several delays

Bids were received for all three packages of the ₹29.5-crore project, which aims to remove 1.65 lakh metric tonnes of silt

MUMBAI: After two failed attempts and an extension of a third deadline, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally begun desilting work on the Mithi River, with operations now underway at five locations across all three project packages.

Mumbai, India - May 23, 2018: Cleaning of Mithi river ahead of monsoon at BKC in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, May 23, 2018. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

Bids were received for all three packages of the ₹29.5-crore project, which aims to remove 1.65 lakh metric tonnes of silt.

The tenders, floated on February 28, initially drew no response till the March 11 deadline. An extension to March 17 also failed to attract bidders, prompting a third extension till March 24, after which two companies submitted bids, allowing the process to move forward.

The annual desilting exercise, undertaken after the 2005 floods to improve the city’s drainage capacity, had slowed last year amid an Economic Offences Wing (EOW) probe into alleged irregularities.

With contracts now in place, desilting has commenced along the river even as parallel drain-cleaning operations are underway across Mumbai city and its eastern and western suburbs.