Guwahati, June 15: Amid flash floods throwing life out of gear in the city even as 10 super suckers, procured at a cost of about Rs 25 crore in December last year are gathering dust, East Guwahati MLA and former Guwahati development department (GDD) minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya has blamed lack of proper planning as the main cause for the perennial monsoon menace.
Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, Bhattacharya said the super suckers, procured by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to de-silt 575 drains and five river channels, have been ineffective and hence inappropriate for de-siltation work in the city.
“I had observed this aspect when I was the GDD minister and a demonstration was made in my presence. I had then pointed out that the super suckers could suck only semi-liquid waste from the clogged drains and not the layers of mud/silt from the hills that accumulate there,” the legislator said.
“Many had then alleged that I did not spend any money under the Guwahati Smart City scheme then. However, I do not believe in contractor-centric work, which will never bring any beneficial results for the city,” Bhattacharya said.
The former minister further observed that the delay in floating of tenders and work orders has rendered the de-siltation work ineffective with mud and silt accumulating in the drains and reducing the water-carrying capacity of the drains.
“Now, water is not flowing through the clogged drains but overflowing and spilling over to the roads and localities,” he said.
It may be noted that the super suckers are lying idle at the GMC premises at Basistha for want of money and manpower to operate them.
As many as 12 operators are required to keep one super sucker operating for 12 hours a day. However, the municipal corporation neither has the requisite fund of Rs 30 lakh per month to operate them nor does it have the money to train and pay the monthly salaries of the operators.
