The cleaning of the Mithi River will begin from April 4, following concerns raised in a municipal standing committee meeting that Mumbai could face severe flooding if the river is not cleaned in time.
During the meeting held on March 18, Ashraf Azmi highlighted the issue, warning that failure to clean the Mithi River could lead to waterlogging across the city. In response, Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar presented details of the river cleaning plan.
Two contractors have responded to the tender process, which is expected to be finalised within the next couple of days. After this, the desilting work will begin on April 4. The project is estimated to cost around INR 29.5 crore, which is about 40% lower than last year’s cost, and aims to remove 1.65 lakh metric tonnes of silt from the river.
The work has been divided into three packages, with two bids received for each. Officials are currently reviewing these bids. Meanwhile, desilting work has already started in four out of seven municipal zones for major and minor drains. In the remaining zones—M-West, K-West, H-West, and S—the tender process is in its final stage, and work is expected to begin by March 27.
Last year, the work was delayed because two contractors were blacklisted, requiring a fresh tender process. Additionally, an investigation by the Economic Offences Wing into alleged financial irregularities in the Mithi River project made it difficult to appoint contractors.
As a result, only 70% of the desilting work was completed last year, leading to waterlogging in several areas during the monsoon. Proper cleaning of the Mithi River is considered crucial to prevent flooding in Mumbai during heavy rains.
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