Councillors seek desilting of sewerage before monsoon

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 23

Despite the state government hiring super sucker machines for desilting main sewage lines waterlogging during monsoon season remains a challenge for the Municipal Corporation (MC).

During a recent meeting, councillors of the civic body demanded desilting of sewerage before monsoon.

According to information, the state government had hired super sucker machines for all urban constituencies. Five such machines are working in the all the state Assembly constituencies of the city.

The city has a budget of Rs 3 crore for desilting, out of which Rs 60 lakh is sanctioned per constituency, which are total five in number. The desilting of main sewerage is almost complete, but connected lines are yet to be cleaned.

Officials of the Operation and Maintenance Wing (O&M) of the MC said, “Super sucker machines are used for removing silt from sewage lines wider than 30 inches. These machines are equipped with the CCTVs, which record the suction process. The city is deprived of storm sewerage. Besides, the sanitation sewerage is insufficient to cater to the city’s population.”

The MC cleans other sewerage manually. With a ban on the manual scavenging by the Supreme Court, dependency on machines has been increasing.

The civic body still allows sewermen to enter manholes, but it is also a costly affair. Officials opine that the MC should have its own suction machines. However, the MC is not in a position to buy such costly equipment, they added.

Meanwhile, Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu assured all councillors that the Mohalla-level sewerage would be cleaned soon.