MNS workers climb into Ghansoli drain to protest incomplete desilting
On Thursday, workers from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) staged a protest by climbing into a drain in Sector 7, Ghansoli, to protest against the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's (NMMC) incomplete pre-monsoon desilting. The protest took place along a stretch of the drain located between the NOCIL Naka underpass and the Riddhi Siddhi Society bridge, highlighting unresolved civic issues in the neighborhood.
The protesters claimed that despite the official onset of the monsoon season, the civic body had failed to properly clear the vital stormwater drain. According to MNS leaders, nearly four feet of silt still remains inside the drain. This unfinished work has led to a foul odor and raised serious concerns about the risk of waterlogging and flooding for local residents.
During the demonstration, MNS office-bearers entered the drain itself and raised slogans against the Ghansoli F Ward office of the NMMC. The party workers accused the civic administration of serious negligence and financial irregularities. They alleged that while lakhs of rupees had been recorded as spent on desilting works on paper, the actual cleaning had not been executed on the ground.
MNS Ghansoli division president Nitin Naik and party functionary Rohan Patil stated that the incomplete desilting has caused significant inconvenience to local residents. They accused the civic authorities of failing to monitor the execution of the desilting contract properly.
Several party members joined the demonstration inside the drain, including MNS deputy division president Yogesh Gaikwad, branch president Bharat Londhe, Deepak Sable, Ketan Koli, Sandeep Dakwe, and Bhanudas Patil.
The protesters demanded that the NMMC undertake a thorough desilting of the entire drain stretch at the earliest. They stated that immediate action is necessary to prevent severe flooding and to improve sanitation in the area during the monsoon.
