Sonepat: Pvt firm to clean drains next to elevated highway

Mukesh Tandon

Sonepat, June 20

A day after the “ruckus” witnessed on the NH-44 over the cleaning of drains, private company L&T, which is maintaining the elevated highway and the drains adjoining the highway, gave the district administration an assurance about cleaning the drains on both sides of the elevated highway within seven days.

Apart from this, a six-member committee has been formed to check the cleaning of the drains and to conduct a survey in this regard. The committee would give its report within 48 hours.

The committee will submit a detailed report to the Panipat Urban MLA Pramod Vij within 48 hours.

MLA Vij on Wednesday reached near the Sanjay chowk to check the cleaning of the drains adjoining the elevated highway crossing the city. After finding the drain filled with silt and mud, the MLA called the L&T company officials on the spot and also pulled up officials.

Vij told the officials that the monsoons were set to arrive, but the drains had not been cleaned by the company. Every year, the residents and commuters had to face a lot of problems and also accused the company of not cleaning the drains for the past 15 years.

Meanwhile, MC Commissioner Sahil Gupta, SDM Mandeep, Joint Commissioner MC Mani Tyagi, along with other officials, also reached the spot. After that Deputy Commissioner (DC) Virender Kumar Dahiya reached there and pulled up the L&T officials and warned them that if water accumulated on the NH-44 during the rains, criminal action would be initiated against the company and its officials.

The DC also summoned the L&T officials with the blueprint of the drains to his office on Thursday. He directed the company officials to clean the drains, otherwise the toll would be freed and FIR would be lodged against the company.

Following this, officials of the civic body, L&T officials and others reached the meeting and discussed the issue. MLA Pramod Vij chaired the meeting of the officials.

MLA Vij said the L&T company would clear the drains within a week and the cleaning machinery would be provided by the civic body.

Vij said a six-member committee had been formed to keep a check on the cleaning of the L&T drains and to conduct a proper survey of these drains. The team would give its report within 48 hours, the MLA said.

Deputy Commissioner Dahiya said the L&T had assured to clean the drains within seven days and officials of the civic body would keep a check on the cleaning process. If they failed to do this, a case would be registered against the company and its officials, he maintained.