Juhu residents take up civic policing to avoid drain pain….Virat A Singh
They have formed teams to monitor work of contractors appointed by BMC for cleaning drains
They have formed teams to monitor work of contractors appointed by BMC for cleaning drains
With monsoon not far away, residents of Juhu, which sees severe waterlogging during the season, have formed teams to make sure that contractors appointed by the BMC clean up drains properly and regularly. They have distributed among themselves cleaning schedules of the contractors, so that they can monitor their work.
Clogged drains and culverts, locals says, is one of the main reasons for waterlogging during monsoon. “We have taken it upon ourselves to keep a watch on contractors. If they do a shoddy job, we will confront them and ask them to do it again,” the secretary of Juhu Scheme Residents’ Association, Sherley Singh, said.
She also said that residents would maintain a record of the cleaning work done by contractors and meet BMC ward officials. “If we find that drains are not being cleared properly, we will approach the municipal commissioner,” she said.
People living in JVPD have taken the responsibility of monitoring work on 14 roads. They have circulated cleaning schedules and phone numbers of contractors.
Pritesh Jain (21), who has been given the ‘charge’ of road number 3, says he is looking forward to the job of ‘civic policing’. “As citizens, it is our duty to be vigilant. I will click pictures when drains on this road are cleaned,” he said.
Dr S Daftary is in charge of road number 11. “So far, no one has come to clean the drainage network in our area. I will call the contractor and seek an explanation for the delay,” Daftary said. “I will also ensure that once drains are cleared, excess muck removed from them is not left on the road.”
Ashoke Pandit, a film-maker and an activist who resides near Gulmohar crossroads, fears this year, too, there will be severe waterlogging in Juhu. “A lot of construction work is going on here. Debris has been dumped across the area. This is likely to lead to flooding in monsoon,” he said.
Jatinder Singh Nagi, who lives near road number 10, a stretch where a number of celebrities live, said that residents were using technology for civic policing. “We have marked drains on Google Maps, and have also posted the dates when they will be cleaned,” he said.
The assistant municipal commissioner K west ward, Ramesh Pawar, welcomed the initiative of Juhu residents. “Public participation makes our job easier,” he said.
* The residents plan to keep records of work done on a weekly basis, and interact with BMC officials