The Hindu 28.01.2014
Drinking water projects likely to get delayed
The Water Board is unlikely to keep the deadline of
March for commissioning Krishna Phase III and Godavari drinking water
projects. Both the projects are expected to be delayed by a few months
since works are still in progress, while the Godavari water scheme is
also dogged by litigation.
Chief Minister N. Kiran
Kumar Reddy had asked the Board to adhere to the deadline of March for
completing the projects while laying the foundation stone for Krishna
Phase III in June.
Officials say they are doing their best to complete the projects but fear the work might get delayed.
The
Board has laid pipeline to a distance of 50 km of the 110 km from
Kodandapur to Sahebnagar for the Krishna phase III while construction of
five reservoirs and three pump houses are in different stages of
completion. The balance works are expected to be completed by April but
still it would take few more months to commission the project, it is
said.
In the case of Godavari project, pipeline has
been laid to a distance of 154 km of the 186 km while construction of
master balancing reservoir at Ghanpur poses a problem. Though the much
delayed forest clearance has been obtained, litigation still holds up
the reservoir work.
The Board has spent Rs.100 crore
towards compensation for acquisition of 2,000 acres of land, including
private land, for the Rs. 3,700 crore project.
“The
works are expected to be completed by June or July,” a senior official
said. The Board’s managing director J. Saymala Rao is holding a meeting
on Tuesday to review the progress and look into the bottlenecks facing
the projects.
Works still in progress for Krishna Phase III and Godavari drinking water projects.
