NMMC orders pothole-free roads during monsoon

Sameera Kapoor Munshi

NAVI MUMBAI: With monsoon merely two months away, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s civic chief conducted a review meeting earlier this week, giving directives to keep the city roads free of potholes and ensure that that the disaster management is in a position to address each and every call it receives with prompt responses.

The meeting also focussed on other monsoon-related activities like publishing Standard Operating Procedures for reference in times of disaster.

NMMC has set May 15 as the deadline for completion of all works in the city related to premonsoon. Primary importance has been given to providing smooth pothole-free roads, wellmaintained streetlights while undertaking road digging work will be permitted only in extreme emergencies.

NMMC commissioner, Abhijit

Bangar, said, “Strict action is to be taken against both the contractor as well as the official concerned if any of the city roads are not free of potholes before onset of monsoon. Electricity department has been instructed to ascertain that the streetlights do not fall during heavy rain and storm,” Bangar added.

Any form of road digging work undertaken is to be refilled and relaid by the civic administration immediately. The Public Works Department (PWD) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) were asked to clear the debris lying around so as to ensure there is no water logging in the city. Likewise, civic officials have been asked to get both the storm water drains and sewerage channels cleared before the set deadline.

“Another

important

factor discussed was the supply of water as well as precautions to prevent any form of contamination. Manhole covers are to be inspected to ensure that during high tide, there is no situation of backwaters getting filled within the sewerage channels,” informed an official.

The flap gates of holding ponds are to be checked and restored if found damaged. In low-lying areas, arrangements for water pumps are to be made as well as officials have been instructed to provide additional pumping units and electricity generators at the Vashi and Belapur pumping stations to be used in times of emergency.

The traffic department has been instructed to complete works pertaining to maintenance of traffic signals, repainting of Zebra crossings and speed breakers. MSEDCL officials, during the meeting, were asked to check and attend to electric cables and Distribution Panel boxes lying open.

BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO Civic works before monsoon including clearing sewerage channels have been initiated in Navi Mumbai.