The BMC spent Rs 8 crore last year on deploying pumps in flood-prone areas during the monsoon. However, most of this money went down the drain as the pumps were used for far less time than the hours they were contracted for.
While the pumps were contracted for 3,456 hours each, shockingly 191 of the 212 pumps deployed last year were used for only 10% of the hours or less. The remaining 21 pumps were used for just 10% to 52% of the hours.
The pump used the most was deployed at the railway subway near Maharashtra Nagar, Mankhurd. It was used for 1,775 of the 3,456 hours, which amounted to a mere 51.3% of usage.
The pumps used the least were deployed at the C-Ward office at Marine Lines and Juhu Tara Road. They were used for just five hours each, which amounted to 0.14% usage. A few other pumps used for less than 1% of the hours were located at Majas Depot in Andheri-East, Kalpana Motor Garage in Kurla and the K-East ward office in Andheri. They were used for 10 (0.29%), 15 (0.43%) and 20 (0.58%) hours respectively.
As reported in TOI on 25 May 2009, by Clara Lewis … read full story
