Desilting sewer lines to cost Rs1.4 cr

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 19

The Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) will now conduct the desilting work at a cost of Rs 1.42 crore on its own.

All 41 items listed in the F&CC agenda were approved on Thursday in the meeting held at the MCB office.

The civic body had been facing the heat over the issue of waterlogging in the city ever since the onset of monsoon.

MCB officials were caught unawares when the monsoon arrived as desilting had not been done by the Sewerage Board and Triveni company.

Now, the situation has become grim as around 80 per cent sewerage in the city has been lying blocked.

It is not clear that even after spending the aforesaid amount, whether this move of the MCB would be able to provide relief to residents or not as the rainy season is on and desilting of sewer lines in the will take time.

It has also been decided that from now onwards, before issuing the work order of any developmental work, prior check would be made by the Bathinda Improvement Trust (BIT) to avoid overlapping of the work.

The developmental works, which have been given approval, include 13 projects of laying interlocking tiles at a cost of Rs 1.68 crore in various areas of the city.

While Rs 23.35 lakh will be spent on repairs of roads and drainage system in zone number 6, an amount of Rs 5 lakh will be kept aside for repairs of public toilets in Madhuwan street.

The repair work of fountains opposite the Sadar police station will cost the MC Rs 2.72 lakh. The long-pending repair work of the Surkhpeer road has also been approved and it will cost Rs 49.69 lakh.

Interlocking tiles will be laid at Vishal Nagar at a cost of Rs 20.71 lakh and the MC will spend Rs 4.82 lakh on constructing a cement and concrete road in Shanti street.

The MCB will spend Rs 1.02 lakh on the development of Karnail Singh street and Rs 22 lakh for constructing a road in Arjun Nagar.

An amount of Rs 42.20 lakh will be spent on the development of streets in Hans Nagar, Rs 10 lakh for the development of Joggers’ Park and Rs 44.99 lakh for constructing roads in Ward No. 37.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath, senior deputy mayor Tarsem Goyal, deputy mayor Gurinderpal Kaur Mangat, MCB Commissioner Rishipal Singh, secretary Vishal Wadhwan, XEN Sandeep Gupta, Davinder Jaura and others were present in the meeting.