Delayed by 5 yrs, sewerage project gets new deadline

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 26

Already delayed by more than five years, the sewerage project in Jammu is still incomplete. However, the Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) has set another deadline with a new contractor to complete it by December 2016.

The project worth Rs 130 crore was started in 2008 and it was scheduled to be completed in February 2010, but due to different reasons and excuses given by the authorities the project had missed many deadlines and is still incomplete.

The project was divided into three parts — two were funded by Asian Development Bank and one by the state government. The Economic Reconstruction Agency was given the task to complete the project in the Jammu (West) area. However, the project in old city was being done by National Buildings and Construction Corporation (NBCC) Ltd.

The sewerage project for Jammu (West) comprises of 26.53 km of trunk sewer line and 65.50 km of lateral sewer line, which are to be connected with household connections for disposal of entire sludge, bathroom waste, etc, to maintain proper sanitation of the city.

The major components of the project include 27 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant at Bhagwati Nagar, trunk sewer line and lateral lines.

According to official sources, all three parts of the project were given to one contractor who was doing it at a very slow speed. The department later terminated the contract of that contractor and re-tendered the work in Jammu (West), which was allotted to a new contractor, who has started the work two months ago from Sarwal Chowk.

Officials informed that the earlier contractor had left many pipe links in the narrow lanes and localities and the new contractor has been directed to start with those which were left incomplete by the earlier contractor.

“The work has been allotted to the new contractor. The department has set the deadline of December 2016 and I hope the project will be completed by that time,” said Vinod Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ERA.

He informed that the ERA had also started giving house connections to the sewerage pipes by using sewage plant of UEED.

The officials also informed that 65 per cent of the work had already been done and Rs 58 crore had been spent on it.