Sisodia calls for SPV to clean Delhi's drains during monsoon

In view of the arrival of monsoon, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday called for setting up of a special purpose vehicle to clean the drains and prevent waterlogging on roads in the national capital.

Monsoon is expected to arrive in Delhi on June 29, according to the MeT. Hence, Sisodia urged officers to ensure the drains are cleaned at the earliest.

"There is multiplicity of agencies in Delhi as far as cleaning of drains is concerned. We must try for a special purpose vehicle for better coordination and cleaning," he said.

Sisodia, after a meeting of an apex committee to review measures for flood control in Delhi, released the 'Flood Control Order 2018' under which a central flood control room has been set up to deal with monsoon problems in the city. The control room, under the control of the East district magistrate, will operate round the clock till October 15, the government said.

Sisodia, PWD Minister Satyendar Jain and Irrigation & Flood Control Minister Gopal Rai will monitor the flood control work in all 11 districts of Delhi.

Emergency flood control contact number:

The contact number of the control room is 22051234 (Disaster Management Cell), 22428773 and 22428774.

Members of the control room:

Representatives from all departments and civic agency such as I&FC, DDA, PWD, NDMC, EDMC, SDMC, NDMC, DTC, DJB, BSES, MTNL, Delhi Police and DDMA will be part of the control room to mitigate issues related to their departments during the monsoon season.

"We must move to modern technology," the deputy chief minister said at a gathering, adding that one of the solutions is the use of super suckers.

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At the meeting, Divisional Commissioner Manisha Saxena said MCD commissioners should allow disposal of silt, removed from drains by various departments at the sites, to ensure that the silt does not flow back into drains during rainfall.

 The key points for monsoon preparation stated that all district magistrates and SDMs will be vigilant and responsive in the unlikely event of flood if the Yamuna crosses the danger mark, according to an official statement.

All municipal corporations, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Development Authority should ensure prompt remedial action in case of drainage congestion on account of heavy rain, it stated.

(With PTI inputs)