BJP asks MLAs to identify waterlogging-prone spots & work with officers for corrective steps

NEW DELHI: Determined to prevent waterlogging in Delhi during the monsoon, the city’s ruling BJP has directed all its MLAs to identify vulnerable spots and coordinate with the agencies concerned for corrective steps, party leaders said on Monday.

More than 325 waterlogging-prone spots have already been identified and the MLAs are coordinating with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), public works department (PWD), the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and other agencies for desilting of drains and ensuring measures for proper drainage during the rains.

“The party-led government has issued instructions to the chief secretary and other officers to take all necessary steps to check waterlogging during the monsoon,” said a senior BJP leader.

Some MLAs said most of the drains in their constituencies were choked and sewer flow was blocked due to lack of desilting.

“Desilting work had not been undertaken in my area during the past decade. As a result, the flow of wastewater was completely blocked. Eighteen feet of solidified silt was removed with a lot of difficulty,” a BJP MLA said.

Another MLA said underpasses and flyovers that faced waterlogging during heavy rainfall were also

being identified.

“Drainage systems of the underpasses are being cleared and auto-start pumps deployed so that the water can be quickly pumped out whenever it starts accumulating during heavy rainfall,” he said.

PWD Minister Parvesh Verma on Monday held meetings with groups of BJP MLAs and officers of the agencies concerned, including the DJB that maintains the city’s sewerage system, to take stock of the ongoing work.

He directed the officers to ensure that drainage systems and roads were in good condition so that people did not face problems during the monsoon, officials said.

In a post on X, Verma said he met several MLAs and heard their issues in a meeting with officers of the public works, water, and irrigation and flood control departments.

The MLAs who attended the meeting were Tarvinder Singh Marwah (Jangpura), Surya Prakash Khatri (Timarpur), Raj Kumar Bhatia (Adarsh ​​Nagar), Ashok Goel (Model Town), Anil Goyal (Krishna Nagar), Sanjay Goyal (Shahdara), Jitender Mahajan (Rohtas Nagar), Ajay Mahawar (Ghonda) and Mohan Singh Bisht (Mustafabad).

“The BJP’s ‘double-engine government’ is committed to quick and permanent solutions to public problems,” Verma said. The BJP returned to power in Delhi after more than 26 years, winning 48 of the 70 seats in the assembly.