E-Paper
24x7 water supply project: Ludhiana MC to address complaint on January 31
The project, 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project, was given green signal during the MC general house meeting held last year
The municipal corporation (MC) authorities have invited the members of the city based civic society groups to registers their complaints regarding the overhead service reservoirs (OHSRs) to be constructed in various parts of the city under the World Bank funded 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project.
In a letter issued by the MC, the members of the Public Action Committee (PAC) have been asked to appear before the office of commissioner on January 31.
As many as 12 objections were received pertaining to OHSR from various parts of the city. Beside PAC, other social organisations such as change maker whistle blower of Ludhiana, council of engineers and residents of Juhi Enclave Jassian Road have raised objections pertaining to construction of OHSR.
All objections have been clubbed together and the complainants have been asked to raise their issues before the MC officials including MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal.
According to social activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira, the OHSRs’ are being constructed in parks and green belts. “The city is already facing a paucity of green cover and the construction of OHRS will erode the vegetation and plants in the area. Primarily we have demanded that the civic authorities should spare the public parks and green cover for construction of OHSRs,” said Khaira.
The MC had in October floated a request for proposal (RFP) inviting online proposals for the design, build and operation of 580 MLD water treatment plant and associated transmission network and overhead service reservoirs (OHSRs) in the city to initiate the first phase of the project.
A total of ₹1,693 crore will be spent on the project in the first phase. Out of which, estimated ₹1,422 crore will be spent on the project in a span of ten years and ₹270.73 crore will be kept for maintenance. The proposal security will be ₹12.4 crore. The project was given green signal during the MC general house meeting held last year.
Besides setting up water treatment plants and associated transmission networks, the civic body will establish 139 overhead service reservoirs (OHSRs) at different locations of the city under the World Bank (WB)-funded 24x7 canal-based surface drinking water supply project.
The officials said 77 reservoirs were already there in different parts of the city and remaining would be established under the project. As per the officials, it will take around three years to complete the first phase after the project will commence at ground level.
The list of sites, where the overhead reservoirs will be constructed, was available with the superintending engineer of operations and maintenance cell of the MC at zone-D office in Sarabha Nagar.
Under the project, water meters will be installed in all properties across the city. The civic body is also planning to set up a water utility company with the mayor as its chairperson and MC commissioner as managing director. Councillors and other MC officials would be appointed as directors.
