Five years and a blacklisting later, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Gazdarbandh pumping station is finally set to begin operations this monsoon. The civic body has claimed that most of the station’s work is complete and only ancillary work remains. The station, which has been tested, will ensure that floodwaters do not inundate Juhu, Vile Parle, Santacruz areas.
The BMC’s ambitious storm water disposal project, Brimstowad, has been dogged by controversy following constant delays and escalating costs. The project had recommended creating eight new storm water drain pumping stations to prevent flooding during the monsoon. Of the eight stations, only five are functional. Work on the sixth pumping station at Gazdarbandh has been delayed for five years.
Dogged by delays
The original ₹125-crore contract for constructing the pumping station was given to M/s Pratibha Industries in 2014. Work was scheduled to be completed by 2016, but constant delays led the BMC to remove the contractor in 2018. In August last year, the BMC began the process of finalising a new contractor and awarded a work order worth ₹60 crore. The work order also involved ensuring the maintenance of the pumping station for the next seven years. The cost would be recovered from the old contractor, who was blacklisted.
An officer from the Storm Water Drain Department said, “We have tested the pumps using sea water. The pumps can be commissioned this monsoon.” BMC municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta, who had set aside ₹1,302 crore for the department in this year’s budget, visited the pumping station on Tuesday.
The ancillary work includes building internal roads. The department has tested the generator sets and screens, and built a retaining wall around the nullah. The screens were imported from Germany and the pumps from Korea. Ahead of the monsoon, the department will be desilting the nullahs and the Mithi river, and taking preventive measures at 60 spots in the city prone to flooding.
