After making a blueprint to appoint consultants in 2020, almost two years later now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation finalising consultants for rejuvenation, beautification and flood control of the Mithi river. The Mumbai civic body will spend around Rs 36 crore on the project report and management.
The civic administration has recommended M/S TPF Engineering Pvt Ltd and M/S Pacific Consultant Company Ltd at a cost of Rs 35,87,99,992 for the same and a proposal for this has been tabled before the civic standing committee. According to BMC officials, the study will take at least 12 months, the consultation will go on for the next four years.
The Mithi river rejuvenation is a prestigious matter not only for BMC but also for the state government. The state government had in 2020 set up the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority.
The total length of the Mithi river is 17.84 km. Out of which 11.84 km falls under the jurisdiction of BMC while the remaining 6 km falls under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Under Phase I undertaken by the BMC various works like widening and desilting was done. As part of Phase II of the project, the work has been divided into five parts based on the area. It includes works to prevent the pollution of the river. Other work also includes laying of sewerage canals, constructing river retaining wall and service road works all are in progress and will cost Rs 465 crore from the BMC's coffers. The work is going on in and around Morarji Nagar, Customs Colony, Nilgiri society, Kantilal compound, Karwa industries, Malhotra House, etc. A budgetary allocation of Rs 565 crore has been made for the Mithi river rejuvenation project for FY 2022-23, besides this, more work of Rs 4,033 crore is still in pipeline. "We have tabled the proposal of appointment of the consultants before the standing committee. We will await the approval."
Meanwhile, activists cry foul over the money being spent on the Mithi river project from the time it was proposed to date. Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation has written a letter to Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and principal secretary -Urban development department seeking transparency in the matter and termed the entire Mithi river project as a "mint of corrupt practices."
Pimenta said, "Since July 2005, Mithi River Development Authority has sunk thousand plus crores for Mithi River Clean up the programme and yet Mithi River is most filthy and abused river of the country. After spending so much of taxpayers' money on cleaning the Mithi River, the condition of the river can be compared only to the gutter. The BMC is spending crores of taxpayers money on Mithi River clean up, despite claiming strapped for funds then why is it that there is no transparency and accountability. Why is the river still so filthy. In Ahmedabad, if Sabarmati River can attain cleanliness after spending less than half of the amount then why is the status of Mithi River still filthy? After the construction of the retaining wall, the garbage is yet dumped in the river at some places."
He added: "We demand that BMC, MPCB, should conduct spot inspection of the entire length of the river immediately and demolish the illegal construction without any further loss of time and take action against the violators under the provisions of MRTP Act and Water Pollution Act, if not already done."
