The New Indian Express 21.12.2009
Metro Water sends crores down the drain
A big well at the New Adyar Pumping Station that needs a parapet wall.
According to documents available with Express, 39 pending works worth several crores of rupees in New Adyar Pumping Station and LB Road Pumping Station were left unfinished despite several representations to the senior authorities in the department.
The area engineers of the two pumping stations had written to the managing director and chief engineer (operation and maintenance) in May last year stating that despite several reminders, the CCRCP wing had not taken up the pending works.
“During the inspection of CCRCP works by the managing director on April 12, 2008 at R K Mutt Road near Adyar Sewage Pumping Station, it was informed that several pending works in the pumping station are yet to be attended by the CCRCP wing. The managing director instructed to take over the operation of the sewage pumping station by the O&M wing and all the pending works to be carried out by the CCRP wing in a phased manner,” the letter of the engineers said.
Yet, the works remain pending. The chief engineer O&M wing brushed aside the note of the area engineers. In his reply on August 27, 2008, he stated that “the liability period expired on March 31, 2007, and the works have been completed as per the Bills of Quantities and the pumpsets have been operated for more than two years and there is no further fund available to attend works beyond the Bills of Quantities package-4 under this project.
“It is also informed that there is no pending works as remarked in the letter and if any rectification works are found, the same may be attended by the O&M Wing as defects liability period expired on March 2007,” the chief engineer stated.
Echoing the chief engineer, the superintending engineer (SE) CCRCP informed that all the works relating to the New Adyar Sewage Pumping Station had been completed by March 31, 2006. He claimed that a trial run had been carried out and the pumpsets had been operated for about two years from the date of commissioning.
CCRCP engineering director G Elangovan denied that there were pending works. “We have completed the work. Supplies were made. Contractors have finished the work. The liability period for electrical works is one year and civil works is five years. If there are any other defects, Metro Water will look into it,” he said.
However, Citizens Guardians chairman V Ravichandran claimed there was ample proof to suggest that there a lot of works were still pending. “How can the waterways be cleaned if the pending projects are not completed? Why did the authorities lie that the project was completed when crores of worth of works are pending?” he wondered.
Ravichandran urged the government to take immediate action against those responsible for the lapses.
