River development programme: Gujarat firm which brought Sabarmati to life to ‘reshape’ Pavana, Indrayani

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is planning to appoint Gujarat-based HCP Design Planning And Management firm as a consultantto revive Pavana and Indrayani rivers under the river development programme. A proposal regarding the river development project, will be tabled in front of the standing committee on Wednesday, for clearance.

PCMC plans to implement the river development programme for Pavana and Indrayani rivers in Pimpri-Chinchwad on the lines of the Sabarmati river development programmein Gujarat. The civic body has allotted a tender to HCP Design Planning And Management firm, which has the experience of making the Sabarmati river development project report. PCMC officials said that the company will work as a consultant to make the river development plan, along with a tourist resort and commercial complex along the riverside.

Mayor Nitin Kalje said,“The civic body has decided to implement the Pavana and Indrayani river development programme to make our rivers clean and livable. In the second tendering process, we allotted the tender to a Gujarat-based company which has previously worked on the Sabarmati river development project. For this project, we have estimated a cost of ₹3.80 crore to the exchequer.”Initially, there was no response to the tendering process and when the tenders were floated for the second time, PCMC allotted the tender to HCP Design Planning And Management, Ahmedabad.

Sanjay Kulkarni, PCMC's executive engineer in the environment department, said, “After the standing committee’s approval,HCP Design Planning And Management firm will work as the consultant in this project. Then, the private firm has to carry out hydraulic modelling of both rivers, create a base map of the riverbed, conduct a land survey and prepare the detailed project report.”

According to officials, the selected private firm will be responsible for all necessary permissions required for the project. The appointed firm will also responsible to prepare a special purpose vehicle for the river development programme.

To develop, a 18-km stretch of the Pavana river, PCMC will invest ₹2.70 crore and to develop a 16-km stretch of the Indrayani river, the PCMC will invest ₹1.78 crore. Combined,the PCMC is ready to invest almost ₹3.78 crore to execute the river development programme in the city. A detailed project report (DPR) for the development of both the rivers will be finalised by the civic body. According to the river development plan, business complexes, hotels and shopping malls will also be set up along the riverside.

Sewage water flowing from various part of the city mix directly with the Pavana, Indrayani and Mula rivers without treatment, therefore, highly polluting them. Hyacinth is formed when nitrate and phosphate increases in river water. The failure of PCMC to check the uncontrolled growth of water hyacinth in the Pavana and Indrayani rivers has also aggravated the problem of mosquito breeding which caused extreme discomfort to residents in many areas like Sanghvi, Bopodi, Khadki and other neighbouring places.