Thane: Activists and political parties have pointed out several instances of incomplete nullah construction and debris still lying unattended at several places, nullifying the civic administration's bold promises of cleaning most of the drains by May 31. The city has a 300 km long sewerage network running through all nine wards. The total length of major drains is 170 km. The civic administration will spend Rs 80 crore on cleaning and desilting all these drains, which are said to be often clogged with garbage and their course is interrupted by construction, leading to flooding in the surrounding areas during heavy rain and high tide. Thane Congress spokesperson Rahul Pingle, who inspected some drain cleaning works, drew the administration's attention to the fact that construction work at some places is either incomplete or debris is still lying in them, which could lead to significant flooding in various parts of the city. “The bold promises made by the civic body seem to have not been fulfilled. Several low-lying areas in Naupada were recently inundated during the unseasonal rains and we fear that this will repeat itself during the monsoon. The corporation will be responsible for any accidents,” he said. The Shiv Sena UBT faulted the absence of chief minister Eknath Shinde from the city during such a crucial time and pointed to the condition of drains in his constituency. “So many civic works in Thane are yet to be completed. The chief minister inspects the drains in Mumbai but what about the condition of nullahs in his own constituency and city,” echoed former UBT MP Rajan Vichare and district functionary Sanjay Ghadigaonkar. BJP MP Sanjay Kelkar also inspected the cleaning work of nullahs in Majiwada and asked why cleaning of drains was restricted to only once a year, which he said posed a health risk to local residents. Sanjay Bhoir of the Shiv Sena also visited several areas under his jurisdiction during the week and directed the contractors concerned to complete the work on time. The situation was no different in Diva too, with local activist Rohidas Munde lamenting that the cleaning of drains seemed to be only on paper. Residents also complained that they were unnecessarily facing waterlogging as most of the drains in the city were blocked either by accumulated garbage or nuisances.
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