Indian Express 27.10.2010
Rs 600-crore river restoration project promises to solve city’s sewage problem
Express News Service Tags : project, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture, MCCIA Posted: Wed Oct 27 2010, 03:10 hrs
Pune: Rs 600-crore river restoration project to be implemented jointly by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) and city-based consultancy agency Naik Environment Research Institute (NERIL) on a public-private partnership basis promises to find a solution to the city’s sewage problems.The project will stretch from Vitthalwadi to Kharadi, a distance of about 17 km, and is expected to be complete in three years. A level of 0.6 TMC will be maintained through the stretch.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) treats 567 million litres per day (MLD) of the 700 MLD sewage water generated in the city that comes from 45 canals. Instead of a large 200 MLD sewage treatment plant, the plan proposes to make 20 smaller plants at several points.
D D Naik, chairman and managing director, NERIL said, “So far the project has been approved by 73 per cent non-government organisations in the city. Of the total project costs, while Rs 60 crore is to be raised by corporates and other sources, the remaining 90 per cent would be soft loans from financial institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. A 25 year pay-back period is being estimated for the project, for which the revenue will be raised through transportation and tourism that is expected to thrive once the project becomes operational.”
The special purpose vehicle company named Pune Restoration and Navigation Co Ltd, which will handle the project has industrialist Atul Kirloskar and technocrat Ravi Pandit, Naik and Malhotra as its directors. Mukesh Malhotra, former president MCCIA, said if all goes according to the plan then the boats that will run the waterway will have a carrying capacity to 1.5 lakh two-wheelers per day.
