VMC initiates ramp construction on Vishwamitri river

Vadodara: With the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) beginning work on preparing ramps to ensure machinery can enter the Vishwamitri, it is believed that work on the desilting and resectioning of the river will begin soon.

The committee formed to devise a plan for flood mitigation in the Vishwamitri after the devastating floods last year gave a series of suggestions. The most common suggestion from experts was to deepen and widen the river or resection it.

VMC brought out a tender for resectioning even before the committee finalised its report, as it was a step all agreed upon. The vendor will be identified soon, even as the forest department will be involved in handling the crocodiles during the work.

Sources said that the work being taken up now will limit itself to preparing slopes or ramps on the side of the river. The machinery will not enter the river without the presence of experts. Places where the silt and debris removed from the river can be dumped are also being identified.

If all goes well, work is expected to begin in the second half of this month. The state govt has already expressed its commitment to flood mitigation work in the river.