Pre-monsoon desilting drive from March 1

Nagpur: After years of monsoon chaos marked by waterlogging, flooded homes and traffic paralysis, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has announced that its annual pre-monsoon desilting drive will begin from March 1. Mayor Neeta Thakre on Thursday directed officials to ensure cleaning of the Nag River, Pora River, Pili River and all major and minor drains across the city before the onset of rains.
At a high-level review meeting held at the Dr Punjabrao Deshmukh Standing Committee Hall, municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, additional commissioner Vasumana Pant, chief engineer Manoj Talewar and zonal officials were present. Officials informed that Nagpur has 227 major and 152 minor drains, and 14 poclain machines have been deployed for desilting operations. However, despite similar assurances in previous years, several low-lying areas witnessed severe flooding, raising questions over the effectiveness and monitoring of such drives. The mayor directed officials to take local corporators into confidence and prepare ward-wise action plans to avoid last-minute lapses. She also ordered immediate completion of the tender process for hiring spider machines and strengthening of chokage gangs in each zone to clear storm water line blockages. Frequent complaints about clogged storm water drains disrupting rainwater flow were flagged during the meeting. Thakre instructed officials to identify chronic waterlogging spots in advance and prepare a dedicated list to ensure preventive measures are taken before heavy showers. Leader of the ruling party Narendra (Balya) Borkar demanded a time-bound schedule for cleaning the Nag, Pili and Pora rivers and insisted that assistant commissioners be made accountable through written completion reports. "There must be fixed responsibility to ensure the work is not merely on paper," he said. The mayor also directed the administration to publicise an emergency helpline number ahead of monsoon so citizens can report flooding or natural calamities and receive prompt assistance.