Leave of P’kula MC staff cancelled

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, June 28

Keeping in mind the monsoon season, Panchkula Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal has cancelled leave of the MC engineering wing staff. 

Besides, they have been asked to gather at the MC office in Sector 14 within half  an hour of heavy rain. Jogpal said though a flood control room had been set up by the district administration, the MC was taking steps on its own to tackle the problem of waterlogging. 

To find a solution to waterlogging in Sector 19, the MC Commissioner said they had constructed four rainwater harvesting pits and four more would be constructed in coming days. “The cleaning of nullahs in Sector 19 will start soon,” he said. 

A senior MC official said Sector 19 was located on the border of Panchkula and Zirakpur. Colonisers in Zirakpur had closed the nullahs due to which the draining of rainwater from Panchkula to Zirakpur has reduced to the minimum, creating a flood-like situation in Sector 19 every year. “The MC has taken up the matter with the Punjab authorities,” he said.

Last year, there were reports of waterlogging in low-lying areas of Sector 19, Budanpur, Indira Colony, Sectors 15 and 16.

Cleaning of road gullies

MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said they had allotted the work of cleaning road gullies in trans-Ghaggar sectors. The work would be allotted in others parts of the city soon, he assured. Earlier, there were no takers for the cleaning of road gullies in Panchkula as no contractor had come forward even after tenders were floated thrice. The civic body had floated 19 tenders, worth Rs 98.15 lakh, for the work.