Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Until the new water supply scheme is commissioned, Rs 200 crore has been spent to provide relief (of getting increased capacity of water supply) for the 18 lakh citizens of the city. The water treatment plant at Pharola, with a treating capacity of 26 MLD, is still not completed. Meanwhile, the contractor has now promised completion of the new water supply scheme by January 2025. Accordingly, the water through the new scheme is expected to reach the city by the end of February. This indicates that the expenses made under the aegis of providing an additional quantity of water may end up being wasted.
Last summer, a 900 mm diameter water pipeline was laid from Jayakwadi to Pharola to provide an additional 75 MLD of water to the city residents. Currently, only 20 MLD of water is being drawn from this pipeline because the capacity of the Pharola treatment plant is not large enough.
Two years ago, the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), the nodal agency of the new supply scheme, issued a work order to the contractor to build a new treatment plant of 26 MLD capacity in Pharola. The contractor had assured that the work would be completed by August 2024. However, as October comes to an end, the contractor has not yet finished the work, leading to criticism of MJP. The contractor has now claimed that the treatment plant will be completed by January. If it is indeed completed in January, then water from the new scheme is expected to reach the city in February. This raises questions about the utility of such significant expenditures.
Daily Fine of Rs 15,000
Starting from October 1, the contractor will be fined Rs 15,000 per day. MJP’s executive engineer Deepak Koli confirmed that a notice has been issued to the contractor regarding this. Due to the contractor's failure to complete the work on time, the city has not received the additional water supply. The contractor has also been granted extensions multiple times to complete the work.
Lack of work experience?
There are discussions within MJP questioning whether the company which has been awarded the contract for building the water treatment plant in Pharola has prior experience in constructing such large-scale work. It may have experience in laying pipelines, but the water treatment process is more complex and requires proper expertise. This aspect should have been thoroughly checked before awarding the contract, such questions are being raised in the MJP circle.