Minister Demands Accountability for Unfinished Desilting Works in Mumbai

Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar criticized the ongoing desilting works in Mumbai for being unreliable, urging increased accountability from contractors and officials. Despite inspections revealing incomplete projects and transparency issues, officials lacked evidence of progress, prompting Shelar to demand timely completion and clearer processes to prevent public inconvenience.

Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar expressed dissatisfaction with the unsatisfactory state of the ongoing nullah desilting works in Mumbai, labeling them as unreliable and calling for increased accountability from contractors and civic officials.

During an inspection of desilting sites in the city's western suburbs, Shelar highlighted the incomplete nature of the projects, with some areas showing less than 10 percent completion in over a month, and others only reaching 20 to 30 percent progress. This, he asserted, casts doubt on the reliability of the works.

Criticism was also geared toward the lack of transparency, with officials failing to provide videos and photographs of sludge removal and dumping. Furthermore, the online application meant for tracking progress remained outdated, causing Shelar to question the credibility of the operations. He called for the municipal commissioner to inspect the works, stressing the necessity for timely project completion to avoid inconvenience to the public.

(With inputs from agencies.)