IN A much needed push to commence the construction work on Mogra pumping station in Andheri, which has been stalled for more than a decade now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has invited tenders for the appointment of a Project Management Consultant (PMC), a third party auditor who will overlook the construction work on the project.
The construction of the Mogra pumping station was proposed by the Madhav Chitale-led fact finding committee which was appointed after the tragic July 26 deluge in 2005 and the proposal for this pumping station was also made in the Brihanmumbai Storm Water Disposal (BRIMSTOWAD) system.
The Mogra pumping station is meant to curb the flooding menace caused by the overflowing of Mogra nullah during heavy rains. This nullah passes through Andheri east and west in the western suburbs, and flows into the Arabian Sea through the Versova Creek.
Confirming the development, P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner (projects), said that there had been a title claim issue over the nullah land before the high court which put a stay on the construction, resulting in the delay in the project’s execution.
“The designs and drawings for the project are ready. BMC has moved the High Court to allow us to proceed with the construction and any decision by the High Court will be binding on us with the right to appeal,” Velrasu told Express on Monday.
Upon its completion, the Mogra pumping station will help prevent water-logging in western and eastern areas of Andheri, Veera Desai Road, Link Road as well as Lokhandwala, bringing huge relief to the residents of the precinct.
While the contractor for the project was appointed 10 months earlier, the work on the project remained stalled owing to land disputes, civic body officials said.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Indian Express, Dhawal Shah, director of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA) said, “In the past, when the micro tunnelling work carried out by the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project (MSDP), the excavated debris was dumped into the Mogra drain. Besides this, on a regular basis, waste and floating debris from the nearby slums are also dumped into the Mogra, creating stench and methane liberation.”