Proactive approach by Chandigarh MCs can rid tricity of monsoon woes

Provide adequate funds to civic bodies to clean road gullies, sewer lines and stormwater drains; if need arises, repair stretches where traffic is high

Launch web portal for complaints

We all know that monsoon related problems are there even if the Administration is fully prepared to deal with waterlogging, cave-ins and water entering houses. Sometimes roads are not in good condition and go unnoticed by the MC, but are problem for the people. Therefore, a web portal should be launched on which residents can post their problems and an immediate action is taken by the authorities concerned to resolve them.

Priyam Aggarwal, Chandigarh

Rain Exposes lack of MC preparedness

There is no doubt that the initial rain in the tricity brought some relief from scorching heat, but at the same time once again exposed lack of preparedness on the part of the MC authorities. A lot of inconvenience is caused to the public, including daily commuters, who are caught in unending traffic jams, face waterlogging and road cave-ins. Office goers reach their destinations in almost double the time usually taken. Why the authorities aren’t taking lessons from incessant rains in the past? Roads should be repaired well in advance before the arrival of monsoons. There no improvement in drainage infrastructure or rainwater harvesting. Why the MC authorities are not fully prepared by cleaning all stormwater drains before the rainy season. Rather, cleaning of drains should be a routine activity.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

QUESTION

The UT has failed to improve its ranking and has remained at the 29th position in the national ranking on ease of doing business released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. Rigidity in rules such as non-conversion of leasehold industrial plots to freehold and no increase in FAR are behind the dismal ranking of the UT, rue industry insiders. Do you think the rules should be eased to attract investments during Covid times as a thriving industry will create more jobs?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to openhouse@ tribunemail.com

Pay contractors for work done on time

On-time work completion and prompt payments are two sides of the same coin as it leads to a win-win situation for both the MC and contractors. The respective MCs of the tricity have no systems in place for making payments for work contracts in a time-bound manner. Such delaying tactics are clearly visible in civil works carried out by contractors across all departments, especially the engineering wings of the MCs. Non-maintenance of road gullies and stormwater drains, repairing of potholes not being done, lack of dewatering pumps, shortage of manpower and flooded roads of residential areas create apathy and misery for the population. The singular reason is delayed payments by those at the helm. Streets in Zirakpur turn into streams, which leads to traffic jams and clogged roads. Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali are no better and lack planning or disaster management, which puts residents’ lives at risk. Snapping of power cables by falling trees adds to inconvenience by long hour cuts. The MC has to act proactively to provide relief to residents from rain fury.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur

Fix accountability of officials concerned

There is complete lack of accountability in civic bodies due to various reasons like political patronage, job security, non-linking of salaries with performance, lack of supervision and corruption. There is dire need to overhaul the working of Municipal Corporations to save money and increase efficiency. The monthly performance of each official, including contract workers, should be assessed. The ghost/non-performing employees should be removed from service irrespective of his/her position to stem the rot.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

Finish cleaning work before monsoon

The problem of waterlogging during monsoon has been continuing year after year in the tricity. The arrival of monsoon is known, but still the problem persists. Clean drains, repair roads and clear vegetation from nullahs before rains come. SOPs must be followed to complete preventive works before the onset of monsoon every year. Area wise responsibilities for the B&R and the Drainage Department must also be fixed to complete works before monsoon. If this cannot be planned in city like Chandigarh then nothing can be done for other towns.

Wg Cdr Jasbir Singh Minhas (retd), Mohali

No one cares about residents’ issues

Surely, during rainy days, we witness blocked or overflowing road gullies and stagnant water on streets and roads and even in parks. Rainwater filled potholes on roads get wide and are invisible to motorists and cyclists, who get injured. Nobody cares about problems of tricity residents. Even money-minded officials of the Municipal Corporations look the other way. Nor does our Member Parliament come to personally see and address people’s problems. Shame on all!

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

Withdraw facilities given to councillors

It is negligence on part of the MC on the pretext of fiscal crunch every year. Re-carpeting of roads, filling potholes and cleaning of roads ahead of monsoon are basic necessities. The MC should prioritise work, allot funds for cleaning and start preparation to deal with monsoon woes on time. The civic body has to cut down unnecessary expenditure on events and tea parties. Money spent on study tours and renovation of officers’ houses should be cut and facilities given to councillors be withdrawn.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Residents of low-lying areas always suffer

With record rainfall in August people residing in the low lying areas had a real tough time. Waterlogging in these areas is not a new phenomenon. The MC has not done enough to improve the drainage system and stop entry of excess rainwater in houses. Knee-deep water enters garage lanes at the Modern Housing Complex, which have a design flaw. Many MC and UT Chief Engineers have personally visited the site over the years, but failed to provide a viable solution to this perennial problem. This year too with Covid effect and paucity of funds with the MC residents did not expect much to happen and suffered silently. But, their anguish over waterlogging during monsoon should not go unnoticed any further.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

Take councillors into confidence

Monsoon-related problems as cited are apt to occur if not handled well in time. Excess of everything is bad. We can not fight nature, but have to prepare ourselves well in time so that we are able to control the havoc created by torrential downpour. The City Beautiful has a large percentage of senior citizens. They need take extra care. As such timely repair work becomes all the more important. Municipal Corporation (MC) officials cannot visit every nook and corner of the tricity. We cannot expect so much from our MC. Our area councillors should be taken into confidence and asked to inform the MC well in advance to undertake repair and cleaning works. Our city is old. Some northern sectors have old trees, which need to be taken care off. They need timely pruning and some have to be removed altogether.

NPS Sohal, Chandigarh

Construct high capacity road gullies

The answer to waterlogging woes in Chandigarh lies in cleaning 30,000 road gullies, using super suction machines and removing waste that chokes gullies. Higher capacity road gullies, which can handle over 25mm rain, must be constructed where waterlogging is severe, especially near roundabouts. The civic authorities must mend broken roads by filling potholes, clean drainage pipes and de-weed seasonal rivulets annually before monsoon. The rain shouldn’t play a spoilsport. Rainwater should be harvested from road gullies.

Simran Sidhu, Chandigarh

Cannot blame civic authorities this year

This year we cannot blame the civic authorities for rain-related problems as they are already over-burdened due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But yes, otherwise every year the civic authorities are not prepared for handling such issues. There has to be a proper planning for such problems and that too with timeline. Many times the authorities get into action only with the start of the monsoon season. Quick action teams should be formed to look into monsoon-related issues. A fool-proof feedback from residents can be of good help. Hope next year timely action will be taken by the civic authorities so that residents of the City Beautiful need not suffer during monsoon.

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi, Chandigarh

Safety of people comes first

Flood gates of the Sukhna Lake were opened in the wee hours. As a result, the catchment areas were flooded with rainwater. Water gushed into houses while residents were asleep and played havoc with their household property. Panic stricken residents found themselves helpless in the odd hours. Had the Administration been proactive in taking precautionary measures, loss of property could have been minimal. It is, therefore, foremost responsibility of the Administration to first announce the date and timing of opening the Sukhna Lake flood gates. Hopefully, the Administration, having learns a lesson from its failure, would plug loopholes in disaster management to combat such like eventuality in future.

Hardeep Singh Sulach, Mohali

Bring lax officials to book

Every year tricity residents face issues of waterlogging and rainwater entering their houses, shops and offices. All this is due to not cleaning of drainage pipes. The MCs of tricity levy many taxes. But officials concerned do not perform their duty and residents suffer. At the same time, tricity residents must do their bit by not throwing garbage on roads and in streets to prevent choking of gullies. If officials are found lax in their duties they must be brought to the book. Higher ups must keep a regular check on works to be undertaken before the onset of monsoon.

Moti Bhateja, Chandigarh

launch helpline number for plaints

In tricity some sectors are low lying and get waterlogged during the rainy season. The Administration is well aware of this issue, but still the problem occurs every year. Drains have to cleaned from time to time especially before rainy season. Special boreholes should be constructed in the low-lying areas in the city. A helpline number should be launched for people to register their rain-related complaints. Special task force should be deputed in the area most affected by rain.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

Don’t blame nature for man made disaster

Causes and effects of the havoc played by recurring rainwater related problems are well known. There is no dearth of engineering expertise, solutions and resources, but sadly there is lack of will. The civic authorities cannot be caught unaware/unprepared every year. It is commonly heard ‘Nehar kachchi te naukri pacci’ and ‘Nehar pacci te naukri kachchi’ (a smoothly running concrete canal needs no staff, but a breach feeds many). Simply, reliable maintenance, augmentation of stormwater infrastructure and absence of impediments to free flow of rainwater can stem the rot. Fixing responsibility is not an easy task because many factors can be attributed to passing the buck. Nature’s fury must not be blamed for man made disasters. The elected representatives, a link between authorities and the public, are paid heftily paid, but are not answerable. It’s a sin/curse to be poor and weak and suffering is its corollary.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Conduct survey before monsoon

Why the civic authorities do not visualise issues they can face before the onset of monsoon. They must take steps before hand. Officials concerned must conduct a survey of low-lying areas and check whether the sewerage system has been cleaned. Residents Welfare Associations can be taken into confidence and apprise the Administration about waterlogged streets in their area. Officials concerned must frequently visit different city areas during the rainy season.

Tarlok Singh, Chandigarh

Polythene bags choke drains

Obviously, the MC staff is fully equipped to handle rain-related issues. Improper disposal of polythene bags chokes drains. No doubt, it is adding to waterlogging woes. So, all drains and gully traps should be cleaned by the MC. Low-lying areas should kept under the watch of the trained civic body staff. The MC should ensure doctors presence in dispensaries to deal with monsoon-related health problems. It’s duty of every resident to help the civic authorities tackle issues cropping up in the monsoon.

Anita Tandon, Kharar

Identify waterlogging spots before repairs

Although Chandigarh has best drainage system, residents face rain- related difficulties every year. The MC can prevent waterlogging of streets by timely cleaning of road gullies and gutters. Houses in the low-lying areas should have higher courtyard levels than roads to prevent entry of rainwater on premises. The MC should undertake re-carpeting and repair works of roads well in advance of monsoon after earmarking trouble spots in order to prevent waterlogging and road cave-ins.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh

Make officials pay for residents’ losses

Heavy rain adversely affects the life of people every year. The MC authorities being fully aware of this fact do not take steps to ensure proper drainage of rainwater, road repairs and filling of potholes. As the MC authorities are never serious about monsoon-related issues, the best way to wake officials concerned is to recover residents losses from them. This will definitely give positive results.

Balbir Singh Batra, Mohali

Ban polythene bags in tricity

Despite spending huge amount of taxpayers’ money waterlogging remains an unsolved issue in the tricity. Poor maintenance of roads and sewerage, failure to ban polybags and decrease in green cover area by laying paver blocks creates waterlogging and rainwater enters houses. This leads to accidents, adversely affects health and damage materials. The MC should ensure regular cleaning of choked drains and road gullies. Polythene bags should be banned in the tricity and rainwater harvesting must be mandatory. Inadequacies in the drainage system of flood-prone areas must be reviewed.

Col Balbir Singh Mathauda (Retd)

Construct wells to store rainwater

Handling nature’s fury is a challenging job, but routine problems faced every year can be managed if the Administration takes up the matter sincerely. If possible, the engineering wing should identify low-lying areas facing waterlogging and other rain-related problems during the monsoon season, dig safe borehole on nearby vacant land to divert water and save it for use after proper treatment. Although the project seems costly, it will be one-time expenditure.

Surinder Paul Wadhwa, Mohali

Effective planning need of the hour

Damaged and leaking rainwater drains should be repaired. Road gullies, manholes and sewage lines must be cleaned. Flooding, cave-ins and potholes create traffic snarls and cause accidents. Effective planning is the need of the hour to face monsoon blues.

Charu Malhotra , Mohali