Delay in water, sewerage pipeline project irks Faridkot residents

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 20

Dug-up roads, dust and sewage waste have perturbed Faridkot residents. Besides, this former princely state continues to delay the construction of the sewerage system.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the water and sewerage pipeline project in Faridkot was performed on June 16, 2016. With an estimated cost of Rs 210 crore, the project was scheduled to be completed in 18 months. The project was allotted to Shapoorji Pallonji Co & Ltd, a Mumbai-based construction company.

But two years down the line, all thanks to the cash-strapped state government, the project has put the lives of Faridkot people to hardship as less than 20 per cent work of this project has been completed so far.

As most of the roads in the town have been dug up to lay drainage pipes, these have not been levelled after laying the pipelines. Residents covered the dug-up roads at many places just by putting sand into them.

“There is no end to this problem it seems, ” says owner of an electronic goods shop near Kameana chowk in Faridkot. Most of the shops in the area have put up plastic curtains to avoid dust from entering their shops.

As many open trenches have been dug for laying pipelines, piles of soil earth a serious threat to the safety of motorists. Three days back, when it rained these trenches were filled with rainwater and sewerage water.

One such trench has been dug up near Baba Farid Public School in New Harindera Nagar in Faridkot. This deep dug up trench is posing serious threat to the houses and shops on the both sides of the road as there is high risk of the walls collapsing any time due to high erosion of soil in the foundation of the walls.

Sources in Shapoorji Pallonji Co. & Ltd revealed that there is dismal releasing of funds by the state government in the last two years and it was causing delay in the completion of the project. After the delay of over 14 months, the construction company has been released just Rs 20 crore of this project of Rs 284 crore project (Rs 210 crore capital of the project and Rs 74 crore for 10 years maintenance) this month.

Gulshan Kumar, an SubDivisional Officer (SDO) in Public Works Department (SS), supervising the project, said that after releasing of the funds, the project will catch the speed.