Give timeframe to desilt stormwater drains, HC directs BBMP

The high court on Thursday directed the BBMP to provide a timeframe to remove encroachments on the 450 km of stormwater drains falling within its limits and desilt them.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar heard an impleading application filed by social and cultural outfit Samarpana, accusing the BBMP of inaction in removing encroachments on these drains  and blaming its 'pick and choose' attitude for the situation.

The application had been filed to assist the court in its hearing of a  PIL filed by the Citizens Action Forum on the same issue.

The bench directed the BBMP to provide details of  a concrete timeframe, the costs involved to desilt the drains and the source of  the funds.

The petitioner claimed that the BBMP - by its own statement - had completed desilting of a a mere 229 km of 848 km of stormwater drains,  and would need nearly Rs 1,500 crore and 10  years to desilt the rest of the drains.

In a report submitted on Thursday, the BBMP stated that 1,225 of 1,988 encroachments have been removed, while it has also finished identifying the remaining encroachments.

The council for the civic body also said it would take up desilting work on the remaining 453  km  of stormwater drains in due course.

The matter was adjourned to January 23.