PANJIM: Pointing out that most of the drains in the capital city are clogged due to ongoing works under Smart City Mission, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) councillors on Thursday said that if desilting of drains are not carried out before the onset of monsoon then the city will witness severe flooding.
“While undertaking Smart City works, contractors have clogged drains with mud, and this is across the city. Till date the pre-monsoon work has not been started by the CCP. I only pray that the monsoon is not fast approaching this year. I am 100 per cent sure. We will see severe flooding in the city this monsoon. God save Panjim,” senior-most councillor Surendra Furtado said.
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Furtado claimed that during his tenure and the tenure of councillor Uday Madkaikar as the Mayor, the Corporation used to commence pre-monsoon preparation in December itself.
“With financial assistance from the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and by following the e-tendering process we used to rope in additional 50 workers every year especially to engage them in the pre-monsoon work. And this process was completed in December end or early January. We are in March now, so far nothing has been done. I don’t know what is going to happen,” Furtado added.
The former Mayor said that the CCP should have directed the Smart City contractors to stop work in the beginning of the summer season and should have asked them to provide the services of 100 workers to clean the city.
CCP Councillor Vasant Agshikar has written to the CCP Commissioner Clen Madeira requesting him to ensure cleaning of the drains is undertaken on a war footing.
“As regards to the monsoon preparedness in Panjim, it usually takes three to four months starting from January to desilt the city but as across the city most drains have been blocked due to ongoing works. I urge you to hold joint meetings with concerned agencies and start desilting the blocked drains on a war footing or else there are chances that several areas might be flooded and will lead to health issues,” Agshikar said.
CCP Councillor from Tonca area, Joel Andrade said that he has been told by CCP officials that presently they don’t have the required manpower as some of them have been engaged in the G20 Summit related works.
“The CCP Commissioner has promised me that pre-monsoon work will start soon in my ward and I hope they start soon and complete it before the arrival of the monsoon. They have told me that they have tendered for additional workers and once the process is complete the pre-monsoon works will commence and be completed at a fast pace,” Andrade said.
Stating that if clearing of drains is further delayed then it would lead to flooding of streets, CCP Councillor Vithal Chopdekar said that there is an urgent need to clean the drains at EDC Patto Plaza and area opposite the Kadamba Bus Terminus as it sees heavy water logging every monsoon.
When contacted, CCP Commissioner Clen Madeira claimed that the pre-monsoon works including cleaning of drains are being carried out by the CCP workers. However, he declined to comment on the remarks of councillors. He said that he will respond if councillors write to him raising their grievances.
