AGRA: With monsoon round the corner, civic body here has not been able to complete nullah (drain) cleaning work, deadline for which was June 15.Ahead of the rainy season, state government had directed deep cleaning of nullahs by June 15 in order to avoid waterlogging caused by overflowing choked drains. But due to lack of proper monitoring by officials, the work got delayed.Now, the Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC) has set a target to complete cleaning of drains by June 25. Sanitation inspectors have been directed to keep senior officials updated about work done on a daily basis.According to sources, not even 50% of nullah cleaning has been completed. It is going to be tough to clean all drains by June 25. The task is also time consuming as a majority of the big nullhas are choked with waste and the onset of rains would only make matters worse.There are 21 major nullahas in Agra that criss-cross the city. Besides, there are around 300 small drains which flow through 90 municipal wards in the city. All these drains merge into river Yamuna . Nullaha Mantola, Mahavir, Sundarpada, Rajshri, Khateekpada, Gadhi Bhadauria, Khatena, Kheria Modh, Shahi Canal, Ahmed Bukhari, Taj Mahal western gate, Kolihahi, Kazipada, Chunapchan, TVDC, Kanskhar, Sadarban, Ashok Nagar, Rajnagar, Kothi and Meena Bazaar are the main drains in the city.Before the onset of every monsoon, AMC is mandated to clean all the drains in the city as per the roster plan. But this year, no such plan has been implemented.In April, AMC had started cleaning of the underground nullah at Hariparvat. A super sucker machine was deployed to clean it. Sources said 40% of cleaning still remains.In many parts of the city, the sludge extracted from the drains has been dumped along roadsides. It is yet to be taken away to the landfill at Kuberpur.Senior AMC councilor Ravi Mathur said, "Nullah cleaning work is not taking place properly. At many places, it is yet to start. Soon a team of councilors will conduct an inspection of the drains, which officials claim have been deep cleaned. We will take pictures and table a report before mayor Naveen Jain ".Councilor Dharmveer Singh claimed, "Nullah cleaning work is actually taking place on paper only. The situation on the ground is very poor. The matter will be raised at the board meeting".Bikram Singh, who resides in Rajpur Chungi, said, "The main nullah is in a pathetic condition. It will get worse during the monsoon. AMC remains unconcerned about cleaning of drains throughout the year. Only with days remaining for the rainy season, they act to fulfill formalities."Mamta Kumari, resident of Landey Ki Chowki locality said, "The main drain is in a very bad condition. This year, no cleanliness work has been initiated by AMC."Additional municipal commissioner Vijay Kumar said "The cleaning of drains will be completed by June 25."

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