The Times of India 22.06.2010
Bedlam in PMC over rain-related flooding
PUNE: The heavy flooding in the city following last week’s downpour sparked off a pandemonium during the general body meeting of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) here on Monday.
The opposition BJP-Shiv Sena members uprooted the municipal commissioner’s microphone and threw the stationery kept on his table. They also jostled with ruling party corporators while trying to snatch the mayor’s mace. Security personnel stepped in to shield the commissioner even as the opposition members chanted slogans and finally walked out of the house.
The opposition members were demanding that the civic officials responsible for constructions on the nullahs (waterways) in the city be suspended. They said these constructions were the reason for the flooding in many parts of the city during last Monday’s downpour, which yielded a whopping 99.1 mm rain.
Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade admitted that the civic administration was responsible for the sorry state of affairs. “It is a fact that nullahs in the 1987 Development Plan (DP), which had been approved by the PMC general body, have gone missing,” he said.
Zagade said that a detailed probe of the encroachments on water bodies in the city should be conducted by a retired high court or supreme court judge. His demand was accepted by mayor Mohansingh Rajpal, who said the administration should table the proposal before the general body to appoint the committee to conduct the probe.
The torrential rain last Monday had left most roads in the city waterlogged, badly exposing the PMC’s claims of being monsoon-ready. Zagade admitted that the city was unprepared to tackle downpours like last Monday’s, saying the storm-water drain network has been designed to carry the volume of water for up to 56 mm of rain only.
“The civic body will need Rs 2,000 crore to redo this network to tackle 73 mm of rain. We need 1,028 km of storm-water drains, 365 km of nullahs and 662 culverts to carry this volume of water,” he said.
Visibly upset by the uproar in the house, Zagade attempted to take on the corporators. “In the last 50 years, constructions have been coming up on the nullahs. There are many constructions which do not even have occupancy certificates. Storm water drains and sewage drains are connected. I admit the river in the city has become a gutter. This city is diseased and needs serious remedy. You (corporators) demand suspension of civic officials. But when two officers are suspended, talk goes around that the municipal commissioner is emptying the corporation. Rumours of my transfer start making the rounds if I initiate any action,” he said.
“The time has come for us to address the root cause of the flooding that the city witnesses during the monsoons. I will order action against all illegal work and will also tell my officers not to entertain any (political) pressure,” said Zagade.
The opposition BJP-Shiv Sena members uprooted the municipal commissioner’s microphone and threw the stationery kept on his table. They also jostled with ruling party corporators while trying to snatch the mayor’s mace. Security personnel stepped in to shield the commissioner even as the opposition members chanted slogans and finally walked out of the house.
The opposition members were demanding that the civic officials responsible for constructions on the nullahs (waterways) in the city be suspended. They said these constructions were the reason for the flooding in many parts of the city during last Monday’s downpour, which yielded a whopping 99.1 mm rain.
Municipal commissioner Mahesh Zagade admitted that the civic administration was responsible for the sorry state of affairs. “It is a fact that nullahs in the 1987 Development Plan (DP), which had been approved by the PMC general body, have gone missing,” he said.
Zagade said that a detailed probe of the encroachments on water bodies in the city should be conducted by a retired high court or supreme court judge. His demand was accepted by mayor Mohansingh Rajpal, who said the administration should table the proposal before the general body to appoint the committee to conduct the probe.
The torrential rain last Monday had left most roads in the city waterlogged, badly exposing the PMC’s claims of being monsoon-ready. Zagade admitted that the city was unprepared to tackle downpours like last Monday’s, saying the storm-water drain network has been designed to carry the volume of water for up to 56 mm of rain only.
“The civic body will need Rs 2,000 crore to redo this network to tackle 73 mm of rain. We need 1,028 km of storm-water drains, 365 km of nullahs and 662 culverts to carry this volume of water,” he said.
Visibly upset by the uproar in the house, Zagade attempted to take on the corporators. “In the last 50 years, constructions have been coming up on the nullahs. There are many constructions which do not even have occupancy certificates. Storm water drains and sewage drains are connected. I admit the river in the city has become a gutter. This city is diseased and needs serious remedy. You (corporators) demand suspension of civic officials. But when two officers are suspended, talk goes around that the municipal commissioner is emptying the corporation. Rumours of my transfer start making the rounds if I initiate any action,” he said.
“The time has come for us to address the root cause of the flooding that the city witnesses during the monsoons. I will order action against all illegal work and will also tell my officers not to entertain any (political) pressure,” said Zagade.
