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Water Treatment

Delay in UGD works hits VMC revenue

Wednesday, 27 March 2013 06:45 administrator
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The Hindu                           27.03.2013

Delay in UGD works hits VMC revenue

G.V.R. Subba Rao 

4 STPs, and 6 sump-cum-pump houses being constructed under JNNURM programme.

Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is losing not less than Rs. 60 lakh per month due to inordinate delay in completion of Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) and sump cum pump houses etc in the city.

The VMC has been constructing 4 STPs, and 6 sump-cum-pump houses under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) programme in the city. The corporation has planned to construct two STPs at Jakkampudi and another two at Ajithsingh Nagar. While an STP at Jakkampudi is nearing completion, remaining are in different stages. The works have come to a grinding halt ever since the government has frozen the release of funds.

The VMC launched the UGD schemes with an estimate of Rs. 271.48 crore. However, it could complete the works to the tune of Rs. 185 crore up to 2011.

The contractors are shying away from completing the works as their bills were not cleared. The permissions from railway for laying pipelines under the railway tracks near Jakkampudi also delayed the progress.

The State government has not released nearly Rs. 200 crore due to the corporation under the JNNURM programme on technical grounds. The government argues that the VMC has not followed stipulated guidelines.

Had the government released mere Rs. 50 crore, the Corporation would have commenced some of the projects. Entire One Town area could be provided Under Ground Drainage (UGD) connections if the STPs etc were in place, officials said.

The UGD connections would fetch close to Rs. 6,500 per each connection as one time charges.

It includes road cutting, inspection, first water closet and next closet charges.

As the VMC has planned to provide one lakh connections, the receipts on UGD services would fetch Rs. 60 lakh per month.

The corporation has been losing these receipts for the last two years. The corporation incurs an expenditure of Rs. 7 crore on the UGD services.

However, mere Rs. 2.5 crore is recovered from the users, the officials said.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 08:04
 

Treated water, 42 years later

Monday, 25 March 2013 05:22 administrator
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The Hindu                          25.03.2013

Treated water, 42 years later

Water from Karichal scheme used to be just chlorinated.

Forty-two years after it was launched, the Karichal Water Supply Scheme has finally started distributing treated drinking water.

Launched in 1971 as the Poovar-Karichal Water Supply Scheme, this project of the KWA reached out to a region perennially deprived of drinking water — the State capital’s coastal belt comprising areas like Kanjiramkulam, Karumkulam, Poovar, and Puthiyathura. However, since the quality of water supplied through the scheme, which did not have a water treatment plant, did not quite meet the expected standards, criticism and complaints were frequent. The only ‘treatment’ done by KWA so far was to chlorinate the water. Now, with the addition of a water treatment plant at the Karichal pump-house, 22km from here, the KWA is trying to make a change.

Last Updated on Monday, 25 March 2013 05:45
 

Civic body to debar erring contractors

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 10:04 administrator
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The Times of India                          19.03.2013

Civic body to debar erring contractors

NASHIK: The general body of the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) decided on Monday to debar erring contractors from the tender process initiated for maintenance and repair works of sewage treatment plants (STP) in the city.

The decision was taken after members complained of the contractors not doing their work effectively and efficiently.

Meanwhile, the general body approved a proposal tocarry out maintenance and repair works of the STP at old Ganeshwadi at a cost of Rs 42.28 lakh for a period of three years. Corporators demanded that all treatment plants be oprated by the municipal corporation.

Mayor Yatin Wagh said, "The contractors who have not done a good job will be barred from the tender process during the distribution of contracts for maintenance and repairs of the STPs of the civic body."

Earlier, Kavita Kardak said, "During our recent visit to the Ganeshwadi STP, we found irregularities in the work of the contractor. He had not maintained the register and had handed over his work to another contractor."

Leader of the house Shashikant Jadhav said, "The NMC built the STPs for crores of rupees, but did not make a firm policy on how to run them. The contracts of agencies failing to run STPs as per pollution norms should be cancelled."

Former deputy mayor Devyani Pharande (BJP) said, "The NMC must run the plants on its own instead handing them over to the corporators. We still don't have the capacity to treat all the sewage generated in city. Efforts should be made to construct proposed STPs.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 10:07
 
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