The City people, who have been complaining of delay in desilting work in the drains, are now a disgruntled lot as heaps of silt have been left on the roadside with no sign of disposal in the offing.
Mounds of muck dug out of the drains in the Wards during desiltation drive can still be found dumped on the streets causing inconvenience to commuters and residents. The stretch of road adjacent to a natural drain in Jharpada is cluttered with silt removed from the drain. With the onset of monsoon on Tuesday, those were spread over the road by rainwater.
A whopping Rs 1.10 crore has been set aside by the civic body for the purpose on May 31 meeting. It appears that the sum allotted to the BMC has literally gone down the drain.
Ward 49 Corporator Amaresh Jena said, “We are unable to get manpower to desilt the drains because of excessive filth.”
“With lack of sufficient staff and absence of equipment, we have been finding it difficult to do the job. But, we are trying to finish the desilting process as soon as possible,” a BMC official said.The BMC seemed to be on a mission to complete the desiltation before the advent of monsoon. But, showers on Tuesday and the consequent situation have exposed the preparedness or lack of it on the part of the BMC. With monsoon already here, the cleaning of the drains may take more time.
During the last council meeting, some corporators threatened to launch a strike if the natural drains in the City are not desilted prior to the monsoon.
There are 10 natural drains in the City which need to be desilted every year. Corporators have decided to pass a resolution on desiltation next week.