Lots left to be done before polls, but MCD out of cement

The work of repairing colony roads and drains in the city is going at snail’s pace. Reason: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has run out of cement.

The work of repairing colony roads and drains in the city is going at snail’s pace. Reason: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has run out of cement.

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Councillors complain that simple work such as covering potholes and filling up cracks has been hit as due to bureaucratic hurdles, they have not been provided with fresh cement for nearly two months.

The civic agency gives 100 sacks of cement to each of the 272 wards every month.

Since January, however, it has been able to manage just 10-15 sacks, thereby delaying repair.

“Cement is given for day-to-day emergency work in colonies. For example if a road has a small pothole, then it is filled with soil and cement and smoothened out. Or if a drain needs small repair, cement is used. Cement is given so that councillors do not have to knock on officials’ doors for smaller work,” said a senior official of MCD.

Meanwhile, MCD officials are playing the blame game. While the engineering wing says that the finance department is not clearing the proposal for fresh stock, the finance department says that they have not received any proposal for the same.

Councillors, who are under pressure to deliver before the elections, say that the MCD cement stocks get empty every year, but the officials refuse to learn from their mistakes. “Last year too, the cement stock was exhausted in the month of January. The MCD executive wing should get fresh stock before the current one is used up,” said Malti Verma, councillor from Naraina.

According to Jagdish Mamgain, chairman, works committee of MCD, that looks after the engineering department, several factors have led to the delay in fresh stocks.

“Firstly, the engineer-in-chief went on a break and no one took charge in his absence. Currently, the EDS system of procurement through e-governance is not working.

We have directed them to procure it manually to end the deficit,” he said.