MUMBAI: BMC has proposed a nearly 40% reduction in desilting the flood-prone Mithi river for the coming monsoon after an assessment that the city can avert major flooding with far less work. The appraisal comes in the wake of a probe against contractors and civic officials which looked at allegations of inflated work orders.The civic body during the past weekend floated a fresh tender for desilting 1.65 lakh ton of silt, a steep reduction from 2.67 lakh ton last year, also bringing the contract value down by nearly half — from Rs 48 crore to Rs 29.5 crore. The official BMC explanation, which hinges on last year’s experience, does not refer to overestimation in work orders.
“Despite desilting being disrupted after contractors abandoned sites midway amid an EOW (Economic Offences Wing) probe, the city escaped major flooding last year,” said a BMC official. However, the official added that quantity to be desilted would be reviewed if there is scope to take up more work. Additional civic chief Abhijit Bangar said, “This is only a benchmark of the quantum set and if need be, for more silt to be removed, the same will be reviewed at later.”However, there are apprehensions whether contractors will come forward to bid this time. Officials pointed out that after contractors abandoned work last year, no fresh bidders from Mumbai, Thane or Navi Mumbai were willing to take up the remaining desilting works.
Another official acknowledged that desilting has increasingly become politicised, attracting scrutiny. With elected representatives now in place, officials expect the pressure around execution to be even higher this monsoon.Desilting of the Mithi is carried out in 3 phases each year. The desilting of major and minor nullahs are done as well. Last year, of the 3 companies awarded a 2-year contract, two failed to complete the work after getting embroiled in corruption cases, and because of arrests of contractors and civic officials. BMC foreclosed the contract, blacklisted all 3 firms and terminated their contracts, leaving the river-cleaning exercise in limbo.Mithi’s desilting budget cut sparks bid concernsCiting last year’s experience, the civic body has reduced both the scale and cost of desilting the Mithi River ahead of the monsoon. However, there are fears that if contractors do not submit bids — after those previously selected abandoned the work last year — no new bidders will be willing to take up the remaining desilting work.Opposition parties say this immediately casts a shadow over the credibility of desilting carried out in recent years. “If Mumbai could tide over the monsoon with significantly reduced desilting, it raises a possibility that earlier silt estimates may have been inflated. BMC now shouldn’t wait for contractors but get the work departmentally done by hiring only the manpower and machinery required,” said Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh, who was a two time BMC corporator from 2012-2022.
