Delhi Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) VK Saxena has directed officials to submit a feasibility report within two days on the possibility of engaging an expert agency to break and pulverise the silt settled in the Najafgarh drain before monsoon.

The L-G also stressed that long-term solutions are the need of the hour to turn the much-maligned drain into an "asset".

Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also held a review meeting with the senior officials and technical team of the Dredging Corporation of India on Thursday. The meeting was also attended by Principal Secretary Irrigation and Flood Control Department Ashish Kundra.The specialists from Dredging Corporation of India inspected the Najafgarh drain on Thursday.

The team of specialists will now do the data analysis and send its recommendations to the Delhi Government within a week. Thereafter the work of desilting of Najafgarh Drain as well as removal of water weeds from drain will be done in various phases. The breaking and pulverisation of silt will help in achieving the dual purpose of loosened silt being carried by normal water flow and also achieving bed depth, said an official statement from the L-G’s office. Saxena had visited the Najafgarh drain on Saturday last week. On Wednesday, a meeting headed by the L-G and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia, Chief Secretary and officials was held to decide upon the further course of action. Saxena and Kejriwal agreed that to turn the Najafgarh drain into an asset, planning aimed at long-term solutions that also addressed the issue of recurrent expenditure and efforts needed to be undertaken.