SDMC to form committee to inspect if drains have been cleaned

To ensure that there is no waterlogging during the monsoon and to check if drains are properly cleaned, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will form a

To ensure that there is no waterlogging during the monsoon and to check if drains are properly cleaned, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will form a committee to conduct site inspections and hold officials accountable for delayed works and irregularities.

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SDMC officials said the committee members will visit areas where engineers claim 100% desilting of drains has been done and check the veracity of the claim. The officials said these inspections are likely to start from Thursday or Friday.

Anamika Mithilesh, mayor, SDMC, said a meeting in connection with the setting up of the committee to inspect drains and also to coordinate with other agencies was held on Wednesday. She said the committee will have at least 12 members from various departments.

“The committee will also have representatives from other road owning agencies such as the public works department (PWD) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), irrigation and flood control and also from the other two municipalities to ensure better interdepartmental coordination. It will help in effectively tackling waterlogging this monsoon. The committee members will also conduct inspections to check if drains are desilted properly and to see if silt removed from drains is left on the roadside. Officials who have been lax in their duties will be held accountable,” Mithilesh said.

The SDMC has claimed that it has completed over 95% of the desilting work by the end of June. However, some large drains such as the Kushak drain and Andrews Ganj drain in south Delhi are yet to be desilted completely.

Another senior SDMC official, on condition of anonymity, said there were instances wherein officials concerned had claimed that drains in their area were 100% cleaned even when they weren’t. “Other than the committee, the mayor and the commissioner will also conduct surprise inspections. These moves will bring about transparency,” the official said.

The civic body has also identified 45 sensitive areas that are prone to waterlogging. Mithilesh said some of these sensitive locations are ITO crossing and the surrounding area, area beneath Chirag Dilli flyover, Okhla underpass, RTR Marg, Aurbindo Marg, and Mehrauli-Badarpur road. “Waterlogging prone areas belong to different agencies such as PWD, SDMC, DDA, New Delhi Municipal Council and others. We will install boards near these points with the name of the agency concerned and the contact details of officials for quick redressal of waterlogging related issues,” Mithilesh said.