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Water users should be charged operation cost: CS

Tuesday, 04 February 2014 11:32 administrator
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Deccan Herald            04.02.2014

Water users should be charged operation cost: CS

PTI file image

Water users, including farmers, should be charged operation and maintenance (O&M) cost so that they understand the importance of conserving the precious lifeline, according to Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee. No decision, however, has been taken in this regard as yet, he added. 

People have not understood the significance of water and therefore misuse it, he said at a workshop organised for engineers by the Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) here on Monday on the methods followed in implementing drip irrigation. 

Water crisis is so severe that it may lead to wars among nations, he added. The chief secretary further said that it was time to adopt drip irrigation to conserve water and improve the fertility of soil. 

Kapil Mohan, Managing Director, KBJNL, said that plans were on to charge farmers an annual O&M cost of Rs 500 per acre for using water under the Ramthal-Marol Integrated Micro Irrigation project in the Upper Krishna Basin. Farmers should understand that they get more water and can irrigate more area if they pay the O&M cost, he said. 

The KBJNL will spend Rs 761 crore on the Ramthal project to be implemented by Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd, a private company. 

Menahem Kanafi, the Israeli Consul-General in Bangalore, said that the Union and State governments had evinced interest.
 

BMC to float tenders worth Rs 937 crore to spruce up roads in the western suburbs

Tuesday, 04 February 2014 11:30 administrator
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The Times of India            04.02.2014

BMC to float tenders worth Rs 937 crore to spruce up roads in the western suburbs

MUMBAI: With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, a proposal to spruce up roads in western suburbs worth Rs 937 crore will soon come up for approval before the civic standing committee. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will undertake concretisation and asphalting of 152 roads in western suburbs.

"Roads in western suburbs from Santacruz to Dahisar will be resurfaced as they have been damaged due to high amount of traffic, wear and tear, digging by utilities and leakages from water mains. While doing this, the upgradation of storm water drains, sewage lines will also be undertaken," said a senior official from the roads department.

Under this project, 37 roads will be concretised, the contract of which has been allotted to the consortium of Ms J Kumar Infraprojects - Ms KR Constructions at the cost of Rs 463.34 crore.

The defect liability period for the concretisation of these roads and side strips will be 10 and five years respectively. The contractor will also have to fill the trenches dug by the utility companies, the cost of which will be met from the deposits collected by the companies.

Total 115 roads will be asphalted at the cost of Rs 475 crore. Of them, 33 traffic junctions will be upgraded with mastic asphalt, while 82 other roads will be repaired with asphalt. The contract of these works has been allotted to Ms KR Constructions and the consortium of Ms RPS Infraprojects - Ms Relcon Infraprojects (joint partners).

The defect liability period for the mastic asphalt roads and asphalt roads will be 10 and five years respectively.

However, corporators have alleged that due to delay in issuing tenders, these road works will not be completed before monsoon causing inconvenience to people. Congress corporator Pravin Chheda said, "The tenders should have been issued three-four months back in order to complete them before the start of monsoon. It means most of these works would start after the end of monsoon this year."

While road works in city and western suburbs have been undertaken on priority basis, eastern suburbs continued to be neglected by the civic administration and ruling alliance, he added.

 

BMC to set up sewage treatment plant at Mahim

Tuesday, 04 February 2014 11:24 administrator
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The Times of India            04.02.2014

BMC to set up sewage treatment plant at Mahim

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to set up a sewage treatment plant at Mahim Causeway. Treated water from this one million litre daily (mld) plant will be used for purposes other than drinking like gardening.

Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale said, "The plant, to be built at the inward pumping station at Mahim Causeway, will be completed in next six months. Treated water from this plant will be used in gardens in Mahim and surrounding areas. This will help us in saving the potable water."

According to the civic officials, the plant will be set up on the basis of Rotating Media Biological Reactor (RMBR) technology. The Hindustan Cocacola Beverages (HCB) Pvt Ltd has decided to fund this sewage treatment plant project as a part of its social corporate responsibility (CSR).

Officials of the BMC and the HCB on Thursday signed an agreement to this effect at the civic headquarters. According to the pact, the company will not only bear the project cost, but will also operate and maintain the plant for the first three months.

The work to set up and maintain a sewage treatment plant at Mahim Causeway has been allotted to M/s Naik Environmental Engineers at an estimated cost of Rs 1.5 crore. The bidder has also set up sewage water treatment plants at College of Military Engineering, Pune and Central PWD Colony, Belarpur, which are running successfully, said civic officials.

According to the civic officials, the water supply demand has been increasing continuously due to the rising city population. With rains playing truant these days, the stocks are also limited, which compels the BMC to plan its use by making water cuts. In such circumstances, the use of recycled sewage water for purposes other than drinking can be a better option.


The BMC has also shortlisted seven sites - Colaba, Worli, Ghatkopar, Bandra, Versova, Malad and Bhandup - for setting up sewerage treatment plants in the city. Nearly 2493 million litre daily (mld) waste water could be treated. This is apart from the 150 mld water recycling plant to be set up at Ghatkopar on BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) basis.

 
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