Rs 450 cr for cleaning major drains a waste, say experts

The civic body has spent nearly Rs 450 crore on cleaning major drains in the city since 2000, but that has done little to prevent water-logging each year, and experts say the expenditure is waste of public money.

The civic body has spent nearly Rs 450 crore on cleaning major drains in the city since 2000, but that has done little to prevent water-logging each year, and experts say the expenditure is waste of public money.

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Major drains form only 7% of the city’s sewer network, and each of the 24 wards spend individually to clean the rest 93%.

Experts have pointed to the futility of spending such a large sum on this exercise, which is in addition to projects for widening and deepening them, along with creating new ones.

“The major nullahs have been adequately widened and deepened. Spending so much money on cleaning them every year is a waste as the roadside drains, which connect to minor and then major ones, are rarely cleaned,” said Nandkumar Salvi, former chief engineer of storm water drains.

The civic body has also spent Rs6,738 crore as capital expenditure on new projects to improve the city’s drains in the last seven years.