India, June 25 -- With the monsoon knocking on Delhi's doors and memories of flooded roads still fresh, the city government has launched an extensive pre-rain preparedness drive, claiming record desilting of drains and large-scale inspections across all 70 Assembly constituencies. Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh on Wednesday reviewed ongoing works in Moti Nagar and said the government was focusing on prevention rather than crisis management to minimize waterlogging this season. According to the Delhi government, the Public Works Department has completed desilting of 1,900.15 kilometres of drains out of a total network of 2,125.87 kilometres, achieving 89.38 per cent completion ahead of the monsoon. Also Read - Govt clears 658 crore road upgrade projects The Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department has meanwhile reported the removal of 30,91,242 metric tonnes of silt, significantly higher than the approximately 19 lakh metric tonnes removed last year. Official data showed that 2,84,655 metric tonnes of silt were removed from 21 major drains, while the crucial Najafgarh Drain alone accounted for 12,77,172 metric tonnes. Combined desilting across 22 major drains reached 15,61,827 metric tonnes, while 15,29,415 metric tonnes were removed from 55 supplementary drains. Officials said the exercise is expected to improve drainage capacity, facilitate faster discharge of rainwater and strengthen flood-prevention measures across the Capital. Also Read - MCD streamlines trade licence process with portal integration Reviewing the preparations, Parvesh Sahib Singh said, "Across Delhi today, our senior officers, Chief Engineers and field teams are inspecting roads and drains before the monsoon. We have running maintenance contracts, but the reality of the work can only be checked on the ground." He added that officers had been deployed across different constituencies and that inspections would continue over the coming days. "In the next 10 to 15 days, all 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi will be inspected," the minister said. Stressing accountability, Singh said the government's focus was to ensure residents do not face the annual problem of waterlogging. "Our objective is clear, Delhi's citizens should not face waterlogging during the rains. Every drain, every road and every vulnerable point is being reviewed. Wherever shortcomings are found, immediate corrective action will be taken," he said. The minister further said the government was prioritising continuous monitoring, field-level supervision and coordination between departments. The citywide inspections and record desilting figures, officials said, are aimed at ensuring smoother traffic movement, better drainage efficiency and a more resilient response to heavy rainfall during the upcoming monsoon season.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.