Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam on Wednesday said the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had started mapping the waterlogging prone areas in the new west zone and eastern parts where heavy accumulation of water was consistently reported between 2005 and 2006.

Based on this mapping, the AMC will approach the JNNURM directorate with a plea for financing the supplementary infrastructure to stem the problem that arose mainly due to the 6 metre difference in gradient between Chandlodia and Srinandnagar in Vejalpur.

“Pumping out water will play havoc in the Fatehwadi area and this leaves us with no option but to go for supplementary planning for the extension of stormwater lines,” Gautam said.

He said the new proposal for seeking additional funding from JNNURM directorate will be moved in the next couple of months.

AMC Opposition seeks judicial probe into waterlogging, road cave-ins

The AMC Opposition has demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge into reasons and fixation of responsibility for waterlogging and road cave-ins this monsoon. It has also asked the city administration to issue a white paper on the subject.

AMC Opposition leader Surendra Baxi on Wednesday said exemplary action should be meted out to those found responsible for the tardy implementation of road projects. 

He said that poor quality of construction is responsibility of the contractor and the administration must ensure that

erring contractors do not escape their liability arising out of poor work.

Baxi said the AMC had spent Rs 621 crore on laying sewerage and stormwater drainage lines and Rs 669 crore on construction of roads under JNNURM projects but that did not help reduce the problem of waterlogging in Ahmedabad.

Despite tall claims, the civic body has not done much about the channels, which helps in draining out the rainwater during monsoon. Due to the failure, major areas and roads in Vadodara are witnessing major waterlogging.

While the Opposition leaders are up in arms against the failure of the Rs 250-crore project, top BJP leaders are busy passing the buck. “We have been demanding action against those who have designed the channel. The VMC does not even have the hydrological map of the city, which is must before taking up such a huge project, which costs around Rs 250 crore,” said Opposition leader Chirag Zaveri.

A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, said: “It was necessary for us to initiate the project otherwise it would have affected our

image. Knowing that the city witnesses waterlogging in most parts, it is not easy to control the situation when it is raining so heavily.”

Congress leaders alleged that many stormwater drains in the city are still wide open without a fence. VMC officials had promised two years ago that all the drains will

be fenced to prevent mishaps of commuters and pedestrians falling into them.

Congress leader Chandrakant Shrivastava said: “Even a layman would say that it is important to cover a six-foot channel to avoid the accidents. Last monsoon, there were numbers of similar accidents. But the civic body has done nothing to avert such mishaps.”

“We had publicised this project to portray a positive image of the party among the voters. But it is not easy to control the situation,” said a BJP functionary, who requested anonymity.