Only 1 super sucker machine to desilt entire city's drains

 Even as municipal councillors across party lines have been complaining about the speed at which the corporation is carrying forward the desiltation process, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has failed to procure ‘super sucker machine’ used in desiltation of bigger drains.

The tender for procuring the machine was floated by the unified MCD three years ago.
“The tender was floated in March 2010, and after following the due process, it was approved in 2012. The delivery of the super sucker machine is expected by July 15,” said a senior corporation official.

Currently, the North and South Corporations are sharing the only super sucker machine available. The machine costing crores of rupees are used to desilt large drains, which cannot be desilted manually due to the quantity of sludge.

Leader of opposition Farhad Suri alleged that while the corporation has failed to procure the machine, the civic body delayed payment of some other projects in the guise of making advance payment to the vendor company for the machine.

“The officials delayed the ongoing project of railway underbridge in my area. They cited advance payment to the company as the reason behind it. Now, in a reply to a short notice over the issue, the officials have reverted that no advance payment has been made to the contractor till date,” said Suri.

Even as the corporation is awaiting the machine, councillors alleged that the corporation has failed in desilting work. “Seeing the super sucker machine has become a dream for us. Even if the two corporations have one super sucker machine, the two corporations together have 208 wards. But I doubt whether any councillor in the South Corporation has seen the machine at work over the last six months,” said Andrews Ganj councillor Abhishek Dutt.

Officials, however, said desiltation is in process and the target of cleaning all drains will be met well in time.