MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has started pre-monsoon works of desilting and cleaning of all drains/gutters in the market, to avoid flooding and waterlogging during the upcoming monsoon season.
The desilting exercise will slowly cover various other wards as municipal staff and contracted workers have been engaged to desilt and clear the drains in all wards of the town.
MMC Chief Officer has also written to the water resources department and the PWD to desilt the major nullahs within the jurisdiction of the municipality.
“We have taken up pre-monsoon works in the right earnest beginning with the market. Besides our regular staff, we have sublet work to private parties. Work is in full swing and will be completed well before monsoon sets in,” the chief officer said.
The chief officer also informed that the municipal body will also take up patch up and hot-mixing works of various internal roads in town before the monsoon season.
With the elections for the MMC to be held only in April and the swearing-in of the new batch of councillors expected to go well past April, the chief officer will have to shoulder the major responsibility of pre-monsoon works in town.
Last year, taking advantage of the lockdown, the MMC with the chief officer had overhauled all the major drains in the market.
All the slabs covering various drains were opened, choked drains were cleared and those broken were repaired.
The massive exercise had ensured that for the first time after many years Mapusa market did not experience any flooding despite the heavy rains.
Meanwhile, the Mapusa Merchants Association in a letter complimented the civic body for doing a good job last year and requested the chief officer to keep the momentum this year too.
“With the massive work undertaken to clear the market drains the Mapusa market was spared of annual flooding during the monsoon last year. The same exercise must be undertaken this year to avoid flooding,” said Ashish Shirodkar, President of MMA.
