Municipal commissioner inspects nullahs, finds they lead nowhere

Visibly dissatisfied with the state of nullahs, Zagade took civic officials to task over what he described as “mismanagement of nullahs”. Mincing no words, he asked them to get down to the work of removing encroachments along nullahs with immediate effect and restore their natural path.

Zagade said the development plan itself was faulty, since it did not show many nullahs. He said the Pune Municipal Corporation would spend about Rs 50 crore this year to work on the identified hotspots, while a total of Rs 350 crore would be made available for the nullah improvement programme.

The inspection walk began from Katraj Bypass Road around 1.30 pm and ended near Vakilnagar in Erandwane at 5.30 pm. Zagade was accompanied by a group of civic officials, which included city engineer Prashant Waghmare and officer on special duty (anti-encroachment cell) Ramesh Shelar. The officials had brought with them copies of development plan and maps to identify locations. On seeing drainage chambers in nullahs, Zagade sought to know about engineers who sanctioned such designs. “These drainage chambers are built on the very flow of nullah, creating obstructions, which is why water gets deviated. These designs are faulty and these chambers should be removed immediately. The labour camps are also sanctioned close to nullahs, which threatens the life of residents in times of flash floods. Henceforth, such camps should not be allowed.” 

Officials said the particular nullah was not shown in the development plan as it was not shown in the village map before they were merged into the municipal limits. “If it’s so, the plan itself is faulty. It is meant for public facility, but it is wrong if it did not serve the purpose. We should first accept that there are mistakes and then try to rectify them,” Zagade said.

“Though it is true that Wednesday’s rain was exceptional, it is also true that man-made mistakes on nullahs are leading to troubles. It is necessary to keep the natural flow of nullahs intact and there is no point in giving artificial turns to them. At some points, these nullahs are given acute turns. Some of them have shrunk. We should not tamper with nature,” he told the media later.