* Will not share water with UT

Foiling Chandigarh’s plan to draw more canal water from Punjab to augment its potable water supply, the Punjab government has decided, in-principle, to undertake the much-delayed Phase V and VI of Kajauli waterworks on its own. The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has been made the nodal agency to execute the project estimated to cost between Rs 125 to Rs 150 crore.

With not having to share with the Union Territory, Mohali will get the entire 40 MGD (million gallons per day) water drawn from two new pipelines. However, Chandigarh has been offered to lay Phase VII and VIII of Kajauli waterworks or workout jointly with Punjab another five or six pipelines on twin-sharing basis. But, Phase V and VI will remain exclusively for Mohali as it was sanctioned initially.

A major decision to this effect was taken at a special meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Chandigarh recently.

With this, an inter-state dispute between Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana has also come to an end. Earlier, Chandigarh and Haryana had been demanding a majority share in the water on getting the project funded from the Centre.

Taking benefit of the delay on the part of Punjab to execute the project, formally approved in 2006, the Chandigarh Administration had even got the funding of the project approved from Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to provide only 5 MGD water to Mohali and 3 MGD each to Panchkula and Chandimandir with remaining 29 MGD water to Chandigarh only. 

Confirming the development, GMADA Chief Administrator (CA) Vivek Partap Singh said according to the decision, GMADA has begun work to prepare fresh estimate of the project. “Work to lay pipelines will begin within a month and will be completed in the minimum possible time,” he said, adding that the project will be taken up on high priority in view of the acute shortage of drinking water in Mohali.

He said a major portion of the water to be pumped from Bhakra mainline canal will be supplied exclusively to Mohali city and the remaining surplus will quench the thirst of neighbouring towns of Kharar, Kurali, Nayagaon, Zirakpur and other Greater Mohali areas.

According to the decision, Punjab has offered Chandigarh to acquire land in its territory for Phase VII and VIII of Kajauli waterworks if Chandigarh wishes and is ready to bear the entire cost.

“Also, if Chandigarh desires, it can workout future requirement of water in Chandigarh and Greater Mohali area for the next ten years and join hands with Punjab to jointly undertake work on more pipelines required to quench future thirst,” a senior official said.

DELAY to COST DOUBLE

The delay has almost doubled the initial estimated cost of Rs 65 crore worked out when the project was formally approved in 2006. Though the land from Kajauli to Mohali had already been acquired, still the two new pipelines were not laid. Citing fiscal crunch, GMADA had in 2008 referred project to Centre for funding under JNNURM, but to no avail. Against the demand of 23 MGD water in summer, Mohali got 13.2 MGD water.