Mumbai: BMC accelerates pre-monsoon desilting, sets May 31 deadline

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has intensified its premonsoon desilting operations across the city with Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani directing officials to ensure meticulous planning strict monitoring and timely completion of the work to prevent waterlogging during the upcoming monsoon seasonFocus on Planning Timely Disposal and CoordinationReviewing the progress of desilting work across wards and zones Gagrani emphasised that proper planning must be at the core of operations He instructed that silt removed from drains should be transported and disposed of at designated locations within 48 hours to avoid secondary blockages and hygiene issuesHighlighting interagency coordination as critical the Commissioner directed officials to maintain close collaboration with the Railway Administration and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA particularly for works near railway tracks and infrastructure zonesHe also stressed the deployment of lsquotrash boomsrsquo at 14 identified locations to trap floating waste and prevent garbage from entering the seaJoint Inspections with Public RepresentativesIn a bid to enhance transparency and accountability Gagrani instructed that elected representatives ward committee chairpersons and other public representatives be regularly updated on the progress of desilting work He further directed officials to conduct joint inspection visits with them to assess onground executionSenior officials including Additional Municipal Commissioner Projects Abhijit Bangar and Chief Engineer Storm Water Drains Kalpana Raut along with zonal and wardlevel officers attended the review meetingKey Drains and River Work PrioritisedThe Commissioner noted that desilting work is progressing rapidly across Mumbairsquos three administrative divisionsmdashcity eastern suburbs and western suburbs He also announced that desilting of the Mithi River will commence shortly with instructions to accelerate operations to meet deadlinesSpecial attention is being given to critical drains such as Mogra Nala Majas Nala Mankhurd Nala Somaiya Nala Vakola Nala and the DadarDharavi drain Deployment of machinery and trash booms at these locations has been prioritised to ensure smooth water flowDeadline Set for MayEnd CompletionThe civic body has set a deadline of May 31 2026 for completion of all storm water drainrelated works including desilting widening of drains and cleaning of culverts especially those beneath railway tracksOfficials have also been instructed to install pumps at vulnerable locations to facilitate quick drainage of rainwater and prevent flooding during heavy rainfallTechDriven Monitoring and Public DashboardTo improve transparency the BMC has introduced a digital dashboard on its official website where citizens can access photos and videos of desilting work in real time The Commissioner directed that this dashboard link be widely shared with citizens media and public representativesAdditionally the civic body will use Artificial Intelligence AI systems to analyse videos of desilting work ensuring better monitoring and accountabilityStrict Action Against IrregularitiesAdditional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar stated that with only two months remaining before the monsoon the work must be completed within schedule He warned that any malpractice or negligence in desilting operations will invite strict actionHe also noted that new contractors have been appointed this year and stressed the need for strong coordination with them to ensure efficient and timely execution of the work