VIJAYAWADA: After facing residents’ wrath due to overflow of drains last monsoon, VMC began desilting of major outfall drainage channels in division numbers 30, 31 and 39 of One Town on Sunday.
A team of officials from the public health department had recently conducted a ground-level survey across the city to prepare estimates for commencing desilting work in major drains in the city.
As many as 30 major outfall drainage channels were identified for dredging to clear silt and ensure free flow of water during monsoon to prevent water stagnation in low-lying residential areas, according to public health department officials of VMC.
Municipal commissioner M Rama Rao inspected the desilting work in the major outfall drainage channels in One Town. Upon observing accumulation of plastic wastes in the drains near Chanumolu Venkata Rao flyover, the civic body chief directed the sanitation inspectors to ensure that people handed over segregated household waste to the sanitation staff instead of dumping them into the drains.
He also instructed the public health department officials to impose hefty fines on the shopkeepers along KT Road who were found dumping waste into the drains.
Desilting of drains that get clogged during rains is expected to be completed by first week of June, he said.