In the wake of the forthcoming monsoon season, Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday wrote a letter to the chief secretary, directing the latter to immediately provide the list of drains desilted as of June 10.

In the letter, he directed the chief secretary to ensure an independent third-party audit of these works is conducted by June 30.

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Earlier, on June 5, the Delhi Urban Development Minister had instructed the chief secretary to send a report of the desilting progress reminding the water logging situation in the national capital of the last monsoon season.

The letter further said in the review meeting dated June 10 concerning the desilting process, PWD had claimed that out of 2156 km drains about 61 per cent of drains i.e. 1293 km drains have been completely de-silted. Similarly, the MCD had also claimed that 87.14 per cent of drains taken under Phase-I have been completely de-silted, the letter said.

Earlier on June 10, the Urban Development Department of Delhi and Minister of Irrigation and Flood Control Saurabh Bhardwaj held a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat with senior officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, DDA, Cantonment Board, NDMC, and PWD.

Delhi PWD Minister Atishi was also present at the meeting.

Senior officials attending the meeting presented reports on their department’s preparations for the monsoon. Officials briefed the ministers on the steps taken to tackle problems anticipated during the monsoon. The departments responsible for cleaning Delhi’s drains reported on the status of their cleaning operations.

The PWD officials outlined the progress of cleaning major drains under their jurisdiction and other preparations made to handle monsoon-related issues. Permanent and temporary pumps have been set up to ensure there are no waterlogging problems during the monsoon.

Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi also presented detailed information on the drainage cleaning efforts in the areas under their jurisdiction to the ministers. They also outlined the locations where permanent and temporary pumps will be installed to prevent any waterlogging during the monsoon.

All departments present at the meeting provided comprehensive details of the steps they have taken to address monsoon-related problems.

During the meeting, Atishi and Irrigation and Saurabh Bhardwaj issued instructions to the officials of their respective ministries that wherever temporary and permanent pumps have been installed by them in the 70 assembly constituencies of Delhi, a list of the location of those pumps and the names and phone numbers of the officials operating those pumps should be prepared and made available to the MLA of that assembly.

It will ensure that if a situation of waterlogging arises anywhere during the monsoon, the local MLA can talk to the official concerned and get the problem resolved with immediate effect and the public can be provided relief.