The Hindu 19.05.2010
GVMC meet focuses on pipeline from Yeleru
Staff Reporter
| Opposition flays ‘delayed action' to solve water problem |
Detailed project reports to be placed before Mayor, floor leaders
BOT basis not proper for the pipeline, says Commissioner
VISAKHAPATNAM: Even as the Opposition flayed the ‘delayed action' of the municipal corporation in meeting the drinking water scarcity in the summer, the special meeting on water supply on Tuesday decided to press with proposals for a pipeline from Yeleru canal to meet the growing needs of the city.
Municipal Commissioner V.N. Vishnu saw laying the pipeline from Yeleru, creating more storage reservoirs and using the Polavaram left main canal by lifting water as options. Phase II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission would give priority to drinking water, underground drainage and roads. The State Government also favoured laying a pipeline as about 150 mgd of water is required for about 25 lakh population in the future..
Detailed project reports (DPR) would be prepared and placed before the Mayor and floor leaders. For the 153-km Yeleru pipeline estimated to cost about Rs.1,600 crores, while Central and State Governments would foot 50 and 20 per cent of the cost, 20 per cent of the remaining cost should be borne by Visakhaptnam Steel Plant doubling its capacity, the Commissioner said. Several SEZs and the BARC unit also need water.
The Commissioner said the DPRs had to be submitted by July to the State Government. Answering CPI floor leader A.J. Stalin, he said BOT basis would not be proper for the pipeline.
Earlier, TDP floor leader Ch.V. Pattabhiram charged the corporation with total failure stating that sinking of bores and de-silting of reservoirs was taken up at the fag end of the summer and heads to them were not fixed. Though the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu came up with the Kateru lift irrigation scheme as a permanent solution, the corporation had failed to make use of it by creating storage reservoirs.
CPI(M)'s Botta Eswaramma accused the corporation of not having foresight to prevent the current situation. At Gajuwaka water was being given once in three days.
Superintendent Engineer V.Chandraiah said all the 329 bores would be sunk in a fortnight and heads fixed. The 10 mgd Gajuwaka water scheme which could not be started owing to delay in filtration plant would be completed by October.
The Mayor said consultations were held with all important leaders and a council meeting could not be held owing to “Prajapatham,” Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao. Congress floor leader Behera Bhaskara Rao said the credit for sanctioning Rs.600 crores worth water schemes for the city went to the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and showered praise on the Mayor for taking suitable measures to tackle the scarce water situation.
