Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kunar Saxena on Saturday directed the concerned agencies to carry out the desilting of drains in the national capital on a war-footing.
The direction was issued by the LG following his inspection of some of the most severely affected drains and areas including Taimur Nagar, Barapulla Drain, ITPO, Tilak Bridge, Kushak Nallah, Golf Links and Bharti Nagar due to Friday’s heavy downpour.
Saxena directed the agencies to make the water drainage system fool-proof so as to avert the recurrence of such incidents in future.
During his inspection, Saxena noted that none of the major drains were desilted and cleaned in run up to the monsoon preparations and this essentially led to heavy waterlogging with several parts of the city getting inundated in chest-deep water.
He also noticed encroachment along the drains and asked the officials to remove them immediately.
The LG flanked by Chief Secretary cum Chairman NDMC, Commissioner MCD, Principal Secretary PWD and other senior officials, first inspected Taimur Nagar Drain, where large parts of areas in Okhla, Taimur Nagar, Shaheen Bagh, Jasola, Bharat Nagar, Jamia Nagar and the neighbouring posh colonies like New Friends Colony, Maharani Bagh and others got flooded on Friday.
Union Minister and East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra and MP Bansuri Swaraj also accompanied the LG during the visit in their respective areas.
Following this, Saxena visited ITPO and Tilak Bridge drains, both owned and maintained by PWD, where he found similar conditions. Clogged drains due to garbage and debris dumping resulted in backflow of water and flooded the entire stretch around ITO.
The LG also visited Kushak Nallah opposite Dyal Singh College, Golf Links drain and Bharti Nagar where locals complained of choked drains and sewer lines. Saxena directed the NDMC officials to immediately get desilting of the drains done and deploy additional pumps as and when required, to clear waterlogging in case of heavy rains.
He also directed officials to deploy additional pumps at the chronic waterlogging sites to prevent waterlogging and flooding and warned that any negligence would be viewed seriously and action will be taken against the erring officials.
The LG also expressed displeasure over the garbage dumped in the drains at all of these sites and issued strict instructions to the concerned agencies to remove all garbage, debris and sludge in 3-4 days and report the same along with photographic and video evidence.
It may be mentioned that the LG has accorded topmost priority to monsoon preparedness so as to ensure least inconvenience to people due to water-logging, road flooding, overflowing drains and falling of trees.