Mumbai: The BMC’s tender process for nullah cleaning in the city is in its final stage. The proposed project will commence in the first week of March so it can be completed before monsoon, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. BJP MLAs Ashish Shelar, Parag Alavni and Tamil Selvan had raised the issue of delay in floating tenders.
In a written reply, the CM said that it’s imperative that cleaning is undertaken before monsoon. Moreover, minor drainage cleaning works to maintain the flow of water could be carried out even later.
The BMC has floated 31 tenders to remove silt from big and small nullahs across Mumbai. In the eastern and western suburbs, drains along the expressway and the Mithi river will also be cleaned.
The desilting work was initiated after the July 26, 2005 deluge. Mumbai has 254.67km network of major nullahs, 443.84km of minor nullahs and 21.35km Mithi river.
The BMC removes 70% silt before the monsoon, 20% during the season and 10% after the season. The deadline to complete desilting every year is May 31.
