Deccan Chronicle 27.07.2009
Fund-hit Godavari project to be delayed
Hyderabad
July 26: The project to bring Godavari water to the city is likely to be delayed as the water board does not have the money to execute the project.
The water board sought over Rs 1,100 crore for this year for the project, but the government allotted it only Rs 250 crore in the Budget last week.
The cash-strapped Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is also unlikely to contribute Rs 350 crore this year.
Phase-I of the project, officially called Moulana Abdul Kalam Sujala Sravanthi Godavari Drinking Water Project for Greater Hyderabad, is estimated to cost Rs 3,370 crore. Then, a whopping 1,100 acres of land is to be acquired between Hyderabad and Karimnagar to lay pipelines.
Sources told this correspondent that the Board is looking for financial support from the Centre. A request has been made to the Centre to declare it as a national project and extend money to build it.
The government may not be in a position to provide Rs 1,350 crore annually for the project.
The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, is seeking for Rs 10,000 crore from the Centre to implement the water supply and sewerage plans for the 12 municipalities that were merged to form Greater Hyderabad.
The project will bring in 10 thousand million cubic feet, or 175 million gallons a day to meet the drinking water needs of Hyderabad. This will grow ultimately to 31 TMC feet by 2031.
