BMC chief issues notice to civic official over flooding

Mumbai: A top BMC official is in trouble over the flooding problems the city faced during the heavy rainfall on Monday night. Civic chief Ajoy Mehta has issued a show-cause notice to Laxman Vhatkar, director (engineering and services) for city’s water logging woes.

According to civic sources, Mr Mehta has been furious over the flooding in Hindmata area on Monday night despite Britannia pumping station being commissioned last year. BMC’s failure to start Gazdarband pumping station at Khar before monsoon has also irked him a lot.

He has issued a show-cause notice to Mr Vhatkar, who has been in charge of pumping stations and desalinating works in the city, on Tuesday asking him to explain his stand in three days.

The BMC had assured that Gazdarband pumping station at Khar would be commissioned before monsoon’s arrival. However, the work has been delayed due to which the civic body had to defer its plans of inaugurating pumping station ahead of rains.

After the commissioning of Britannia pumping station at Reay Road last year, the BMC had promised that Hindmata, a notorious flooding spot, and its surrounding areas would not face water logging problems. However, on Monday night, the entire Hindmata area went under water raising question marks over BMC’s claims of monsoon preparedness.

Within one hour of heavy rainfall, as many as 41 parts of the city witnessed water logging. “It was found that the Britannia pumping station took some time to get started, leaving the Hindmata area to go under water,” said a civic source.