Will the new water supply scheme cross ₹3,000 crore mark?

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The city’s new water supply scheme is currently being executed at a cost of ₹2,740 crore. The work, which began five years ago, is based on an agreement between the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and the contractor, GVPR Engineering Pvt. Ltd (Hyderabad), dating back to 2020-21. The original cost of the scheme during the tendering in 2019-20 was ₹1,680 crore.

Despite receiving a price increase of ₹1,060 crore over the last three years, steps are now underway to propose another price increase for the contractor, considering the remaining works of the water supply scheme. Although the scheme is in its final phase, the technical and complex tasks are time-consuming. Sources indicate that preparations are being made to send a proposal of ₹250 to ₹300 crore to the government for the remaining works, suggesting the scheme is likely to reach the ₹3,000 crore range.

The water scheme was approved in 2019 under the Maharashtra Swarna Jayanti Nagarothan Maha-Abhiyan. It was later included and revised under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme. Various works are in the final stages, including the Jackwell at Jayakwadi Dam, the water treatment plant at Nakshatrawadi, the raw water pipeline, the clear water pipeline, 55 overhead water tanks, the water treatment plant at Pharola, the approach bridge, and other related tasks.

When asked about this, divisional commissioner and chairman of the High Court-appointed water supply scheme committee, Jitendra Papalkar, said, "The scheme is in its final stage. Only technical works remain. After evaluating which total works are pending and how much funding has been released from the current provision, a further decision will be taken if needed."

There is an ongoing effort to include the price hike requested by the contractor and some new works. The government and administration had promised to complete the new water scheme by March. However, it is currently November 2025, and many works in the scheme are still pending. The December deadline given by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is also likely to be missed. So far, ₹1,990 crore has been paid to MJP.

"I have no information about that letter..."

The contractor for the city water supply scheme, GVPR Engineering Pvt. Ltd. (Hyderabad), had submitted a letter to the MJP requesting an extraordinary price increase or rate difference. In response, the MJP had issued a letter to the contractor on October 10, 2025, regarding the proposal for the price difference, which was withdrawn on October 25. Currently, the scheme has already reached ₹2,740 crore.

When asked about this, Papalkar said, "I have no information regarding MJP’s letter. MJP has also not provided any information about such correspondence with the contractor. However, there is a possibility of adding some new works that were not included in the original tender for the scheme, and the government has sought information regarding that."