The Bhiwandi-Nizampura City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) has claimed to have completed 80% pre-monsoon cleaning work of the nullahs and drains.
The budget for cleaning the 42km nullahs in the city is ₹1.59Cr. The remaining 20% work would be completed by next week, the officials said.
The nullah cleaning work was initiated on May 7. However, with the monsoon not far away, the work has not been completed yet. According to the civic officials, there are five ward offices across the Bhiwandi city in which five different tenders have been floated.
Vijay Kumar Mhasal, commissioner of BNCMC, the mayor and other officials inspected the nullah cleaning work this week. Mhasal said, “The work is undertaken in full swing and will be completed within four to five days. We have already finished 80% of the cleaning work. Approximately, 32km out of 42km of the nullahs and drains is cleaned.”
The work is still remaining in areas like Kamatghar, Bhave Compound, Aarif Garden, Babla Compound, Anjurphata, Narayan Compound and Padma Nagar.
However, with merely a few days for the rain to arrive, the residents of Bhiwandi have raised concerns over the efficiency of nullah cleaning work, mostly those in the low-lying areas.
Samad Shaikh, 42, a resident of the Sangampada Road area in Bhiwandi, said, “The nullah here was not cleaned completely. Only one machine was seen in the nullah four to five days ago. The garbage is still lying along the nullah and can lead to flooding.”
This area was flooded last year.
Mhasal added that the second phase of clearing of debris in Sangampada area will be done in the coming days.