Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
Cleaning and desilting of Sunheri Pul and Kushak drains
Cleaning and desilting the covered portion of the Sunheri Pul and Kushak drains is the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s responsibility, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was informed on April 16, 2025.
There is agreement that other agencies will assist in that process and officers of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FCD) were present in the meeting held by the chief secretary, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). Thus, there is no confusion on the part of the MCD with respect to its responsibility to clean the covered portion of these two drains.
The chief secretary, GNCTD — present virtually — informed that the covered portion at a fixed distance will be broken; initially, a stretch of 50 metres will be broken open and cleaned within 10 days. This process will be adopted for the other covered portion as well.
The MCD commissioner informed that as far as the drain flowing from the Defence Colony area is concerned, cleaning of the entire stretch, covered and open, is the responsibility of the MCD. He submitted that the drain’s covered portion will be opened longitudinally for desilting.
So far as the Sunheri Pul and Kushak drains are concerned, desilting of the covered portion is the responsibility of the MCD and open portion is the responsibility of I&FCD.
The senior counsel appearing for the DJB submitted that the DJB will extend full cooperation to the MCD in the desilting work.
Senior counsel appearing for the MCD submitted that the affidavit of the MCD commissioner, giving the timeline and the entire program along with the modalities for desilting the entire covered portion of the Sunheri Pul drain, Kushak drain and Defence Colony drain, will be filed within three days.
The NGT directed that the affidavit should also disclose the officers who will monitor the progress and efforts must be taken to ensure that the timeline is adhered to. The agencies should ensure that desilted material from the drains in question is properly stocked and decanted and then shifted to pre-identified sites. De-silted material should not create health and traffic hazards, the order said.
The matter related to desilting of 24 drains with special focus on two drains — Kushak and Sunheri Pul drains — before the monsoon.
The court was informed that a part of the Sunehri Pul drain is completely covered. Sidharth Luthra, senior counsel, referred to the report of the court commissioner and pointed out that the top of the covered concrete area/park had square-shaped manholes/chambers on both boundaries giving access to the drain flowing underneath. These had hard cracks and broken lids.
He also referred to photographs to show that the manholes are open and the metal sheet covering the drain is corroded.
The photographs also revealed that a substantial quantity of the construction and demolition waste and garbage is piled up in the covered portion of the drain, which is required to be cleaned. Further, though a part of the covered portion has been broken up, the waste is falling back into the drain from that open area.
In addition, waste water is being discharged in the stormwater drain which is impermissible. The counsel referred to the photographs to show the pathetic condition at the point where the Sunheri and Kushak drains meet.
Factories and workshops in Purbannapara village, Howrah
The eastern bench of the NGT on April 16, 2025, directed the West Bengal Pollution Control Board to file an action taken report against factories and workshops found violating environmental rules in Purbannapara village of Howrah district in West Bengal.
This was in response to the state pollution control board (SPCB)’s report, which stated that an inspection was carried out on December 4, 2024, and several environmental violations were identified.
Nandini Chakravarty, the applicant, had also submitted several photographs showing the condition and environmental violations in the area. The NGT asked the SPCB to address the issues pointed out in the photographs while filing the action taken report.
The application was registered on the basis of a letter petition submitted in the office of the tribunal through an email dated July 18, 2024.
The letter alleged that industrial factories and workshops around the village of Purbannapara, located at Makardah Mouza under Howrah’s Domjur block, have been causing severe environmental problems to the lives of the local people due to obnoxious gaseous effluents.
The Saraswati canal has been blocked due to it being used for dumping of waste water and other industrial waste material by several industries present in the area, the letter added.
These industries continue unregulated dumping of industrial wastes, resulting in deterioration of the environment in the locale.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.