Admitting to issues with drainage system in the city, Municipal Commissioner Dr Abhijeet Chaudhari said Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has roped in VNIT to study and fix the problem. Every city area where water-logging and flooding occurred in the aftermath of heavy rains on July 20 will be surveyed to study the causes followed by rectification measures. While admitting to some problems on the civic body’s front, the Municipal Commissioner said, other agencies also are involved in road designing including Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and Public Works Department (PWD).

 

They also should pitch in and ensure that height of new cement roads must not cause flooding in low-lying areas nearby. While interacting with newspersons on Wednesday at NMC Headquarters in Civil Lines, the Municipal Commissioner said, as per preliminary assessment, about 10,000 houses and commercial establishments were affected due to floods post July 20 rains. Panchanamas are being conducted by Revenue Department and as per GR, a compensation of Rs 10,000 for households and upto Rs 50,000 for commercial establishments is provided. To a query about height of cement roads, Dr Chaudhari said, “Yes. On Manewada-Besa road due to design of curvature the rainwater flow got blocked. So in the Stage IV of cement road scheme of NMC, it is decided to go for scrapping up of old soil level and not just limiting to milling the tar portion while constructing of cement road. This will help in addressing the issue of water-logging.”

 

The Municipal Commissioner also said, in new designs storm drains of higher capacity are being laid along side cement road. On the major issue of water-logging, Dr Chaudhari admitted that many cases came from unauthorised and Gunthewari layouts were proper drainage system is not in place. Such layouts are regularised by NIT and the drainage system is not proper connected at many places. So for NMC, the task is now to focus on improving drainage system as well as cleaning it regularly. For this, 12 recyclers are being added to the earlier fleet. Another issue that the Municipal Commissioner flagged was of cross connection of sewage and storm drains which needs to be taken up, to avoid water-logging. Dr Chaudhari mentioned that NMC has sent a proposal for appointing Project Management Consultant (PMC) for Naag River Pollution Abatement Project to National River Conservation Directorate (NRDC) for approval. Once the JAIKA-funded projects get under way, new trunk lines can be laid to replace old ones and they will have more capacity to meet current and future needs.

 

This will involve covering North and Central Nagpur areas where drainage lines are almost non-existent. Similarly, in South Nagpur, new drainage line project is underway. Addressing issue of potholes, Dr Chaudhari said, again NMC bears the brunt, even if roads are constructed by NIT or PWD. NMC has increased strength at its Hot Mix plant. A team will work on two zones and repair potholes on all roads, irrespective of their width. As to Gandhi Nagar-Abhyankar Nagar stretch, permission for closure of road has been sought from DCP, Traffic, as officials say, it would require heavy strengtheing for for filling up pohtoles. Dr Chaudhari said, the work can only be done at night. It will be carried out in patches, he added.

 

 

 

 

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has reprimanded the authorities, on Wednesday, over rampant digging of roads across the city as per their whims and fancies, which has led to a major inconvenience to citizens and commuters alike. Lack of coordination between various agencies has exacerbated the situation, with roads often left unrepaired after development projects are completed. During a hearing presided over by Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Abhay Mantri, the High Court noted the deteriorating condition of roads due to haphazard excavation works conducted by multiple agencies without proper planning or coordination.

 

The court observed that each organisation appears to be working independently which led to a chaotic situation in the city. In response to the ongoing criminal public interest litigation (PIL) regarding poor road conditions, the High Court has directed all agencies concerned, including Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), Public Works Department (PWD), and MahaMetro, to convene a joint meeting to address the issue urgently. The court has mandated that a comprehensive report outlining solutions be submitted by August 5. The High Court has instructed the administration to form a dedicated nodal agency to handle complaints related to road works conducted by various development organisations in Nagpur. The agency will serve as a central point for citizens to report grievances regarding road conditions and monitor the execution of repair and maintenance works. GP Devendra Chavan informed the court that several private companies have been involved in road excavation without ensuring proper restoration afterward. In response, the court has instructed the NMC to furnish a list of companies authorised for excavation. Adv S P Joshi represented the petitioner, Adv Sudhir Puranik for NMC, Adv Girish Kunte for NIT while APP Deepak Thakre for the State.

 

HC seeks report on accidents due to bad roads The High Court directed the Traffic Police to compile and submit detailed information regarding accidents attributable to poor condition of roads in city. The report must include data on fatalities, injuries, and property damage resulting from the accident.