Ahead of monsoon, Rs 8 crore spent on cleaning over 700 drains

Prayagraj: Ahead of the monsoon, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has intensified efforts to clean over 700 drains across the city to prevent waterlogging.The cleaning of over 700 drains across the city is almost complete. For the exercise, the corporation deployed 2,769 labourers and several small and large cleaning machines. More than Rs 8 crore was spent on the operation.Areas such as Allahapur, Sohbatia Bagh, Tagore Town, Georgetown, Salori, Alopibagh, Bairahana, Bai Ka Bagh and Kydganj are among the worst affected by waterlogging during the rainy season. The drain-cleaning campaign, launched in April with a budget of over Rs 8 crore, was scheduled to be completed within two months. By the first week of June, the work is close to completion. Cleaning is still underway in some less-affected localities, where the risk of waterlogging remains low.A large workforce of municipal employees, along with robotic machines, was deployed for the exercise.Every rainy season, more than a dozen neighbourhoods in the city face waterlogging. Mayor Ganesh Kesharwani said the Municipal Corporation undertakes drain-cleaning before the onset of monsoon every year. Large drains are cleaned using robotic machines, while smaller ones are cleaned manually.