'Mumbai drain desilting work in disarray': Maha minister expresses dissatisfaction

Mumbai, May 8 Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar on Thursday raised serious concerns over the sluggish pace and 'unreliable' execution of drain desilting work across the city ahead of the monsoon season.

After conducting a detailed inspection of key drains in the western suburbs, he revealed that in the past 35 days, barely 10 per cent of the cleaning work has been completed in some areas, while progress in others hovers around 20–30 per cent.

“The overall situation is deeply unsatisfactory,” he told the media while expressing dissatisfaction over the slow progress.

On Thursday, Shelar went on a thorough inspection of drain desilting operations across Mumbai’s western suburbs, beginning at Gazdar Bandh in Santacruz West.

The inspection continued across multiple critical sites, including the SNDT nullah, Irla nullah, Mogra nullah and the nullah in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Local BJP leaders and former corporators from the respective areas and officials were present to assess the ground realities, along with the minister.

During the inspection of the Millennium Nullah, officials asserted that video recordings and photography of the desilting process were being conducted.

However, they failed to present any footage documenting the removal of silt, the filled dumpers, or the unloading process, casting serious doubts on the authenticity of the claimed video documentation.

Additionally, officials from the Storm Water Drain Department could not provide satisfactory explanation of how technology was being utilised in the work.

The mobile app they claimed to be updating was either non-functional or outdated, further deepening concerns and confirming the widespread impression that the ongoing work is unreliable and lacking transparency, said the release issued by the minister Shelar's office.

Shelar also expressed his concern, stating: “At Gazdar Bandh, we discovered that in over 35 days, less than 10 per cent of the work has been completed — this is deeply troubling. We will be closely monitoring the administration’s plans to finish the remaining work within just one month. While some areas report 20-30 per cent progress, and others claim 50 per cent, it is evident that the overall work is unreliable and lacks credibility.”

He added: "Mere criticism won’t suffice. We will insist that the Commissioner personally visit the sites and conduct inspections. All necessary systems must be put in place to ensure this work is completed on time, so that Mumbaikars do not face unnecessary hardships during the monsoon. Contractors must be held accountable, there should be no shielding. Serious questions remain unanswered – how are the nullahs’ length, width, height and depth measured during desilting? Where and how is this measured? What are the standards followed? Also, if modern technology and AI are being used, what kind of machinery and technology is being deployed?”

“Since contractors have not been able to provide any of these details, we will raise these serious concerns with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner."

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