Chandigarh: Two days after heavy rain left large parts of Chandigarh waterlogged, councillors across party lines tore into the municipal corporation’s engineering wing on Thursday over its failure to manage the crisis, prompting the civic body to order a detailed review of the city’s ageing drainage network.At the monthly general House meeting, councillors flagged poor monsoon preparedness, inadequate desilting of stormwater drains and choes, delayed tenders, shortage of machinery and manpower, and the absence of engineering officials from several affected areas during Tuesday’s downpour.They demanded a comprehensive assessment of the 60- to 70-year-old drainage network to identify stretches requiring strengthening or replacement. The House also agreed to convene a special meeting exclusively to discuss the drainage system and draw up a long-term upgrade plan.Councillors said poorly desilted choes failed to carry the heavy flow, causing rainwater to enter houses, shops and other buildings. They also questioned why jetting and suction machines were not deployed promptly in affected wards despite being available with the MC.AAP councillor Hardeep Singh said the life and capacity of the old drainage pipelines needed to be reassessed. “There is a dire need to revisit the laid pipelines as these are quite old. A holistic assessment of the entire drainage system is required to plan its future strengthening,” he said.Singh also sought a review of the rainfall-intensity norms on which the drainage system had been designed, arguing that the existing capacity needed to be reassessed in view of the city’s current requirements.Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh and BJP councillor Daleep Sharma raised delays in floating and allotting tenders for drainage-related works. Gurpreet said repeated objections had stalled tenders, affecting the execution of essential works.Sharma demanded that jetting and suction machines be earmarked ward-wise to ensure their timely deployment. “The machines should not be left at the mercy of officers. There should be a system to make them available in every ward when required,” he said.MC chief engineer Sanjay Arora presented details of the machinery available with the civic body. Following the heated discussion, municipal commissioner Amit Kumar directed the engineering wing to submit a detailed report and prepare a plan to strengthen the drainage system.Mayor Saurabh Joshi backed the councillors’ demand for a special general House meeting to examine the condition, capacity and replacement needs of the city’s drainage network.NO OFFICERS ON GROUND: MAYORMayor Saurabh Joshi criticised the engineering wing’s response to Tuesday’s waterlogging, alleging that no junior engineer or sub-divisional officer reached several affected spots.He said road gullies had not been cleaned properly, choes had not been adequately desilted and machinery was not positioned where it was needed to drain flooded areas.SPECIAL HOUSE ON DRAINAGECouncillors demanded a special House meeting to discuss the ageing drainage network, its strengthening and the replacement of worn-out pipelines. The mayor accepted the demand and agreed to convene the meeting.
