Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) held a monsoon readiness review on Friday, urging all departments to fast-track drain cleaning, repair damaged infrastructure, and halt new road-digging work before the rains arrive.
In a post on X, Mayor Sulochana Das called on officials to speed up drain desilting, mend broken drainage lines, and step up tree-trimming drives to minimize disruptions during heavy rainfall and pre-monsoon storms. She also requested the Fire Services department to pitch in wherever needed.
She also asked officials to address drain wall damage caused by encroaching tree roots and to issue formal notices to residents who have planted trees near drainage channels.
Departments were further instructed to service and keep water pumps on standby in flood-prone zones, and to ensure rapid response teams stay on high alert through the monsoon months. The civic body also called for urgent repair of crumbling drain walls, covering of open drains with slabs, and proper barricading of accident-prone spots – all before the monsoon sets in.
The meeting took place at Ekamra Hall in the BMC headquarters, and was attended by Deputy Mayor Manjulata Kanhar, Commissioner Chanchal Rana, Additional Commissioners Sasmita Sahu and Kailash Chandra Das, along with corporators and representatives from various allied departments.
