E-Paper
Only 60% of work on 24x7 equitable water scheme completed
The same has been corroborated by the findings of a query filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by civic activist Vivek Velenkar
PUNE :
While the deadline for completion of work on the 24x7 equitable water supply scheme was February 2023, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been able to complete only 60% of the work so far. So much so that the civic body has now taken an extension of 16 months to complete the remaining work apart from slapping a fine of Rs2.22 crores on the concerned contractors for delaying the work.
The same has been corroborated by the findings of a query filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by civic activist Vivek Velenkar. “The PMC initiated this scheme in February 2018 and was expecting to get work done by February 2023. The PMC even brought down the scope of the work by 25% to meet the proposed deadline. However, till the end of April 2023, only 60% work was completed,” Velenkar said.
Velenkar said, “As per the written information submitted by the PMC, they have imposed a fine of Rs2.22 crores on the contractors for delaying the work. Ideally, the PMC should impose a fine of Rs2 crores for every subsequent month of delay in the project.”
Pune Municipal Corporation superintending engineer in charge of the 24x7 equitable water supply project, Nandakishore Jagtap, acknowledged that only 60% of the work has been completed and that the civic body has taken an extension of 16 months to complete the rest of the work.
A PMC official on condition of anonymity said, “Due to various reasons, the project got delayed. One of the main hurdles is land acquisition. The PMC did not get land for the water tanks. Another hurdle was the Covid pandemic which lasted for two years. Laying water pipelines in the old areas was challenging.”
Velenkar further said, “Earlier, they had decided to lay 1,656 km of water pipelines but later, they brought it down to 1,300 km.” Also, they had earlier decided to install 3.18 lakh water meters but later the number was whittled down to 2.39 lakh meters. Even the number of water tanks was shaved from 82 to 67. In this manner, the scope of the project was reduced by 25% but the civic body still failed to complete the work in the stipulated time. According to information shared by the PMC, 66% of the water pipeline laying work, 66% of the water tank installing work, and 44% of the water meter installing work has been completed.
