Surat: Top officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Wednesday pulled up the Surat Integrated Transportation Development Corporation Limited (SITCO) over repeated damage to water and drainage pipelines during ongoing infrastructure works in the city, warning of strict action in case of further lapses.The issue was discussed at a high-level meeting between senior SMC office-bearers and SITCO officials after multiple incidents in recent days led to severe disruption of the city’s water supply, leaving lakhs of residents without drinking water for nearly 24 hours.SMC officials said that despite providing advance information, detailed drawings and on-the-spot technical support, agencies executing SITCO projects continued to damage critical pipelines. SITCO is currently developing a Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) in the city.Officials pointed out that senior SMC and SITCO authorities were not informed in time about the extent of damage or the repair work following a major pipeline breach on Saturday. The agency constructing the flyover bridge (FOB) for SITCO has reportedly damaged the water supply pipeline multiple times since Diwali.According to SMC officials, when repair work began on Friday night, the pipeline was further damaged. As a result, water supply to several areas had to be abruptly shut down without prior intimation to residents.The meeting was attended by mayor Daxesh Mavani, municipal commissioner Shalini Agarwal, standing committee chairman Rajan Patel, deputy municipal commissioner Nidhi Siwach, and senior SITCO officials.“SITCO officials were instructed to ensure proper coordination with SMC and prevent the recurrence of such incidents. In case of repetition, strict action will be taken by the civic body,” a senior SMC official said.
