Hindustan Times 06.01.2010
Civic body blames MSRDC for Nana Chowk pipe burst
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has pulled up the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation for its negligence leading to a pipe burst at Nana Chowk on Monday.
A 33-inches diameter water main cracked open because of pilling work being carried out by MSRDC to lay the foundation for a new skywalk at Grant Road (W). The pipe burst led to the loss of several litres of water and affected water supply in the entire south central Mumbai.
The civic body has written a letter to the MSRDC asking them to explain the cause of negligence and also stating a need for better coordination between agencies. The civic body has asked MSRDC to pay a deposit of Rs 30 lakh for yesterday’s incident.
“We haven’t even given a NOC to start work in Tardeo as MSRDC didn’t give us final drawings,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Anil Diggikar.
He also added that better coordination could avoid such incidents in the future.
“Penalty to be imposed on contractors who are negligent will also be discussed,” said a civic official requesting anonymity.
“Error on the part of the contractors is not pardonable, especially when they were provided with the maps of underground utilities,” said Subhash Nage, Chief Engineer, MSRDC.
There have been similar incidents of pipe burst in the past caused by construction carried out by MMRDA and MSRDC. According to civic records, in the past 15 months 210 pipeline have burst.
