The Hindu 03.07.2013
GVMC plans to take up projects in PPP mode
Desalination plant will be set up to cater to the industrial needs
The GVMC proposes to take up a number of projects in
public private participation (PPP) mode. While some of them are meant
for city beautification, the others pertain to long-term benefits and
amenities.
Some of these projects are being talked
about for years now though some progress seems to have been made on a
few of them of late. GVMC will now have an in-house transaction advisor
to facilitate faster preparation of project reports etc. The proposals
have to be finally approved by the PPP cell of the State Government.
Municipal
Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana and Additional Commissioner (Projects)
B. Nagendra Kumar provided details of the various projects to the media.
One of the projects is setting up a desalination plant to cater to
industrial needs with industries hardpressed for water and ready to pay
the price.
The supply cost is estimated between Rs.35
and Rs.45 a kl. The district Collector has agreed to allot 400 acres of
land near Palavalasa close to the Hinduja project. APITCO has already
prepared a feasibility report for setting up a 10 mld plant.
An agency will soon be fixed to prepare a DPR. GVMC intends to use the latest technology available in Dubai etc.
LED lighting
Another
project is replacing 50,000 of the 74,000 streetlights with LED lights.
It is estimated that a capital expenditure of Rs.80 crore is required
for the project. The GVMC now pays power bills of Rs.12 crore every year
on street-lighting and another Rs.5 crore on maintenance. Now with LED
lighting offering 40 per cent power savings with almost nil maintenance,
GVMC intends to go in for it on BOT basis. Council resolution has to be
obtained after which bids will be called.
The GVMC
also drew up plans for a multi-level car parking at three locations
along Andhra University wall on the Beach Road in a revenue sharing
basis with the university. Land is being sought from the university.
Twelve
footpaths over a stretch of 52 km are proposed for development with
advertisement rights to the private partner. The Request for Proposal
(RFP) will close by the month-end.
Other plans
Busy
Jagadamba, Saraswati and Diamond Park junctions, Collector Office and
MVP Colony are proposed for beautification with footpaths, signboards,
railings etc. At 10 places, including at Jagadamba Junction, foot over
bridges are proposed. These are in addition to the 19 on BRTS roads.
A
feasibility study will be taken up for “Skywalk” to facilitate movement
parallel and perpendicular to the road using FOBs at Jagadamba
Junction. Besides, with 70 per cent of funds from the AP Urban
Infrastructure Development Corporation, the GVMC plans to develop 12
parks with a cost of Rs.10.33 crore.
