Corporators claim work will not be complete by May-end deadline, officials say desilting and dredging will continue during rains While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's officials have made repeated assurances that the major drains will be thoroughly desilted in time for the monsoon, the ground reality at various nullahs across the city presents a different view. Meanwhile, pre-monsoon showers have already hit Mumbai and the monsoon is set to arrive in a little over two weeks.

Mega project of water supply and drainage, launched in Sukkur city at a cost of Rs 3 billion federal government grant, has become a nuisance for the people turning the entire atmosphere of Sukkur city dusty, besides causing tremendous difficulties for the pedestrians and as well as motorists. Almost the entire inter-city roads have been dug up reducing the already narrow passages and interrupting the smooth flow of traffic especially in the peak hours of morning and evening.

The city topped in the implementation of Jawaharlar Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). With abundant funds available the execution of the projects is going at a fast pace. According to sources, after Ahmadabad, Vijayawada stands in the best position in following the guidelines of the mission in the implementation of various projects in urban areas. The city has also received accolades as it has successfully implemented projects like e-governance, double-entry accounting, collection of more than 95 per cent of property tax and funds allocation for urban poor.

"We survived the deluge of 2005 but are still worried about this year." The fear, voiced by many citizens, is an apt comment on how ill-prepared the civic administration is to deal with the rains. With just weeks to go before the onset of the monsoon, contractors appointed by the BMC to clean the nullahs (drains) have completed barely 20% of the work. Although the civic administration had fixed a deadline of May 31, it has now been forced to extend it to June 8. The contract to clean the nullahs is worth Rs 72 crore and work has been spread out over two years.

Even after spending crores of rupee on the relaying and upgrading the city's sewer lines under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), civic body can hardly heave a sigh of relief that they have given the city dwellers respite from waterlogged streets during the monsoons. Thanks to the century old sewer lines and age-old pumps at various pumping stations. Moreover, engineers are also skeptic about the fate of these pumps once de-silting and sewerage-relaying projects under the JNNURM are completed.

With only two weeks to go for the pre-monsoon deadline for road and drain works to be completed, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is struggling to meet the demands of the newfound stress on preparedness for disasters. First, even after allocating an additional Rs 110 crore for its works on widening and deepening the Mithi river, officials are unable to promise that a swollen Mithi will not cause floods as it did in 2005.

The Delhi government wants to ensure that people do not throw garbage in drains leading to the Yamuna river in the wake of upcoming Commonwealth Games and the river far from being cleaned. The government plans to build walls around the major drains to ensure that no solid waste and other garbage flow into the river Yamuna. More than Rs 100 crores has been earmarked for the work to cover the major drains leading to the Yamuna along with the beautification of the areas near the drains. The special adviser to Delhi government, Mr R.

Though there is an economic boom in India there is a flipside to it too. According to estimates there are 80.7 million urban poor in India and a housing shortage of 24.7 million, says Kumari Selja, minister of state (independent charge), housing and urban poverty alleviation.

The Delhi gov ernment will soon to take up an integrated sanitation scheme in the city to ensure that all people get the minimum standard of hygiene and do not go in the open for their toilet needs. The Delhi Cabinet will soon give its nod to a proposal to adopt the integrated sanitation scheme under the national rural sanitation scheme to give subsidy of Rs 6,000 to the people taking sewer connections for their areas.

Dinesh Prasad Goala, Minister of Urban Development and Housing recently announced new projects to be implemented in Barak Valley soon. Goala said that there will be a new water supply scheme worth Rs 8.15 crore in the Lakhipur sub division of Cachar district. There will be storm water drain both in Lakhipur sub division and Hailakandi district worth Rs 7.83 & 9.92 crores respectively. Commercial complexes both in Hailakandi and Lakhipur sub division have been santioned. In Saptagram of Karimganj district there will be a town hall.