Kirit Somaiya says MMRDA is being 'irresponsible'with Mithi desiltation and is unlikely to complete work before monsoon
Kirit Somaiya says MMRDA is being 'irresponsible' with Mithi u00a0desiltation and is unlikely to complete work before monsoon
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has cautioned that the city may witness a 2005-like deluge again this year as the MMRDA is not carrying out the Mithi River's desiltation properly. Somaiya visited the area yesterday and noticed that the MMRDA is dumping the silt on the banks of the river instead of transporting it to a dumping ground.
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Deluge? BJP leader Kirit Somaiya visited the Mithi River's desiltation
area and found that the MMRDA is dumping the silt on the banks of the
river instead of transporting it to a dumping ground. Pics/Shadab Khan
Speaking to MiD DAY, Somaiya said, "The job of the MMRDA is to immediately transport the silt removed from the river to the dumping ground, but they are dumping the waste on its banks. Once the monsoon hits, the rain water will make the silt flow back into the river, increasing the chances of flooding."
The dingy in which the leader was inspecting the river got stuck in marshy land behind the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The depth of water was barely 2-4 feet in some places, which made the movement of the dingy impossible and led to its engine getting damaged.
Somaiya said that Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan should take serious note of the "irresponsible manner" in which the MMRDA was approaching the desiltation. "Only 45 per cent of the desiltation work has been done and I don't think the MMRDA will be able to complete the work before the Monsoon, which is just two weeks away. If we don't want Mumbai to be flooded again, the CM should visit the area to review the desiltation and instruct the MMRDA to dump the silt in the dumping ground," he said.
The MMRDA and BMC had been sparring over who should carry out desiltation work of the part of the nullah that falls in the MMRDA's jurisdiction. The MMRDA wanted the BMC to carry out the work but the civic body made it clear in February that the MMRDA had to do it. The Authority began the Rs 30-crore desiltation project earlier this month.
The Other Side
MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawatkar said, "The process of desilting the portion of the Mithi River which comes under MMRDA's jurisdiction is going on at a fast pace and we are confident of completing it before the Monsoon."
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