Poorly maintained drains draw govt ire

The urban development department has come down on officials responsible for poor maintenance of drains in the city that caused flooding over the past few days.

The urban development department has come down on officials responsible for poor maintenance of drains in the city that caused flooding over the past few days.

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Delhi’s urban development minister Arvinder Singh at a meeting on Thursday took stock of the situation and called for better co-ordination among the three civic corporations, public works department (PWD) and the Delhi Jal Board.

“Strong action will be taken against officers who are found negligent in performing their duties efficiently. We will not tolerate any negligence,” said Singh.

According to Delhi government officials, a lack of co-ordination between the three civic corporations and the PWD has been one of the main reasons for flooding in the city.

“Co-ordination among the three municipal corporations, the PWD and other civic bodies is essential. We have been taking various steps for de-silting drains so that they don’t get blocked. But more needs to be done,” added Singh.

Delhi government officials said a list of flood-prone roads, prepared by the traffic police, had been handed over to the agencies concerned for taking measures to prevent flooding.

At the meeting, officials from the PWD and the three corporations blamed the old drainage system for the flooding.

“The roads were flooded for more than an hour and a half. This is because the drains are designed to discharge only 25mm of water in an hour.

However, it rained more than that. Naturally, it took few hours for the water to subside,” said a senior official.