JOIN USWith the monsoon almost at the doorstep, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has started preparation to tackle rain-related exigencies.
The BBMP Commissioner G Kumar Naik called a meeting with the joint commissioners and chief engineers of all the eight zones and directed them to carry out de-silting of shoulder drains, stormwater drains, identify low-lying and water-logging areas which are prone to flooding and identify and prune weak trees.
The BBMP Commissioner has also urged the people not to dump waste material into the side drains and the stormwater drains as it blocks the flow of water, leading to the rainwater overflowing on the road. This causes damage to vehicles and sometimes claims lives too, besides washing away roads.
The Commissioner has also directed the ward level engineers to educate the masses, especially those living near the lakes and stormwater drains not to dump waste into them.
During the monsoon, all the ten control rooms will function round-the-clock, which will be aided by the 13-strong Prahari teams, comprising ten gangmen each, to meet any contingency at any given point of time. These control rooms will be aided with wireless sets to reach the officers of the area concerned in case of emergency.
The forest cell will have 13 tree cutting teams of 124 gangmen to clear the uprooted trees and fallen branches.
These teams have been strictly instructed to remove the trees and branches within an hour to avoid traffic congestion.
In addition, each ward will get a tractor and a team of ten gangmen to clean the shoulder drains. Every Saturday, a low-lying area will be identified where all the ward-level gangmen in the entire constituency will join to carry out cleanliness drive, which will minimise the chances of flooding.
As littering leads to the clogging of drains, the Commissioner also directed the officials to improve the garbage disposal mechanism.