New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today suggested setting up of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to minimise “negative impact” of multiplicity of agencies on cleaning of city’s drains.
Lack of desilting and cleaning of drains leads to waterlogging and subsequent traffic jams during monsoon.
The suggestion comes at a meeting of the Apex Committee to review flood-control measures, chaired by the CM.
“There is multiplicity of agencies in Delhi as far as cleaning of drains is concerned. We must try for a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for better coordination and cleaning.
Such an integrated body will help in the long term,” he said.
Kejriwal also said that till such a body is in place, authorities should coordinate efforts to prevent problems including of waterlogging during the monsoon season.
“The process of cleaning the drains being used by the PWD and the MCDs in most of the cases is very primitive. Garbage from the drains are kept on the side of the road to dry up and are then taken away when they dry up.
“In the process a part of the garbage again goes back in the drain. It is done nowhere in the world,” the CM said.
He said authorities must move to modern technology, adding that one of the solutions is the use of super suckers.
He also asked them to prepare a cost estimate for cleaning all the drains with super suckers from next year.
Besides the CM, the meeting was also attended by PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, Water Minister Rajender Pal Gautam and Chief Secretary MM Kutty, and other department heads.
All agencies concerned presented the measures taken by them to overcome problems of waterlogging and flooding.
A manual containing important information called Flood Control Order 2017 was unveiled by the Chief Minister.
The booklet contains telephone numbers of the control rooms, details of flood control machinery, list of vulnerable points, duties of various departments and other agencies along with important information about river embankments.
A central flood control room has also been established to assist the Apex Committee functioning round-the-clock at LM Bund in Shashtri Nagar.
This control room is functioning since June 15 and will continue to function till October 15 or till monsoon withdraws, whichever is later.
—PTI