Urban News

The proposal to dig ring wells was passed by the civic standing committee meeting on Tuesday. The civic body has appointed three contractors to dig new ring wells. As many as 100 ring wells, each measuring not more than 3.5 metres in diameter, will be dug in city, eastern and western suburbs each.

The civic body had allocated Rs 41 crore to construct and clean up ring wells in the 2010-’11 budget.

Corporators in a standing committee meeting in November 2009 had suggested that ring wells were better than borewells. They had said the ring wells would have better life and would not pose the problem of drinking water getting mixed with saline water.

The administration said the contractors wouldn’t be paid if saline water was found in the ring well. Meanwhile, some dissenting voices were heard about the administration paying the contractor a steep 3.69 lakh to dig one well.

Shiv Sena’s Rajul Patel said, “Digging a borewell, which is a complicated process, costs somewhere around Rs 1.25 lakh. How can digging of a ring well cost three times that amount?”

Additional municipal commissioner Anil Diggikar said, “The contractor should appoint a geologist who can help study and predict if water in the well is good. If contractors dig ring wells without carrying out a proper study, the city’s ground water table will be in danger.”