When it rains, it pours: NMMC prepones monsoon works deadline

After the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted the early arrival of monsoon, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has directed all private and government agencies to fill trenches dug up for laying electric wires or other works at the earliest.

The IMD forecasted that the monsoon could arrive anytime after May 20 in Kerala. The rainy season reaches Mumbai a week after pouring in Kerala. Hence, the civic administration has asked MSEDCL, Tata

Power, Reliance, among other agencies to stop further digging and repair roads immediately.

Bracing for early onset, the civic body has asked to immediately stop digging work and fill up the trenches

In addition, it has directed all the contractors to complete the monsoon-related works within a fortnight. Usually, the NMMC used to give a May 31

deadline to complete the work, however, the date has now been preponed to May 25.

To prevent water-logging during rains, the civic body will set up additional pumps to flush out water from two holding ponds as their water-retention capacity has decreased due to silt accumulation. While pumps will also be set up at 21 underpasses across the city, which are prone to inundation.

In other pre-monsoon work, the NMMC has concretised a 30-km-long main road in the MIDC area, while it’s planning to cement 21-km road coming under the MIDC jurisdiction by the year’s end. In addition, the Thane-Belapur and Palm Beach Road have already been repaired and the public works department has been informed to repair Sion-Panvel Highway.