Indian Express 11.06.2010
4 yrs on, VMC drain line remains under construction
hitarthpandya Tags : corporation, projects Posted: Fri Jun 11 2010, 00:58 hrs
Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has failed to complete the 1015-meter long drainage line for which they have already spent close to Rs 3 crore. The ongoing project has put thousands of residents of the area in problem and has also put question mark on the efficiency of the civic body’s engineering department.During the repair of a leaking drainage line near Gorakhnath Mahadev temple in Gorwa in June 2006, a drinking water line was damaged due to negligence of
the contractor. Later, a 30×35-foot junction chamber of drinking waterline was also damaged. To overcome this problem, the VMC had decided to construct an overflow line, said Raman Solanki, BJP councillor from the Gorwa neighbourhood.
The trial and error exercises conducted by the VMC in the project has cost the civic body more
than Rs 4 crore as of now. The total on-paper expenses in the drainage department records show
Rs 2,17,36,124 but the peripheral expenses like continuous functioning of pumps to drain out the sewerage by using pumps have been more than Rs 80 lakh.
Sources said the drainage project may take one more year to complete. Top drainage project department officials said the delay is because of the silky-sand soil in the area, which makes digging difficult. On the other hand engineers within the civic body said poor decision making and lack of interest at the senior level are the causes of delay.
“It is true that Gorwa residents are facing the problem but it is difficult to carry on the work in the area as there is sandy soil, which gives hardly any binding, making digging difficult. Moreover, the lines which are installed in the stretch are more than 35 years old. We are blamed by the people but technically we are not wrong in carrying out the work,” said K L Patel, the in-charge Executive Engineer (Drainage).
City Engineer V N Tailor told The Indian Express: “The line is too old and soft soil also bothers us. The digging work is continued at a depth of eight metres and the expense incurred on the project is also justified.”
The Opposition leader at the VMC, Chirag Zaveri, however blamed the engineering department. “I would say and all of us know that Gorwa’s drainage project is the biggest engineering blunder in the history of VMC. Even a layman has the common sense to understand instead of replacing the part of the line, constructing road, then again replacing another part of the same line and constructing the road are nothing but display of poor engineering and corruption at all levels. They are ignoring the simple rules of engineering and following the instructions of consultants who are minting money.”
Progress report
Phase I: Installation of 300-metre, 900-mm gravity line from Gorwa Pumping Station to Gorwa Police Station
Work Order Date: 4-10-2007
Commencement date: 22-10-2007
Date of completion: 20-5-2008
Total Expense: Rs 54,42, 373
Phase II: Installation of 300-metre, 900-mm gravity
line from Gorwa Police station
to Dargaah
Work Order Date: 4-10-2007
Commencement Date: 5-10-2007
Date of Completion: 5-4-2008
Total Expense: Rs 41,48,751
Phase III: Installation of 415-metre, 900-mm gravity line from Gorwa Dargaah to ITI
Work Order Date: 27-2-2009
Amount in rate list: Rs 121.45 lakh
Date of Completion: Not known
Total Expense: Not known
