Well begin is half done, but not for civic body

Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, August 21

Most of the projects initiated by the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda have missed their deadlines. These projects were initiated with much fanfare, but none has been completed so far.  

The civic body, most of the times, starts work on projects without conducting a proper survey, but fails to materialise. Moreover, hard-earned money of tax payers goes down the drain.

Solid waste management plant  

The solid waste management plant was set up by the JIFT company on the Mansa road at a cost of Rs 28 crore after a long legal battle in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), but it has not been made fully functional due to protests by nearby residents. Moreover, both SAD and Congress also assured them they would shift the plant away from its current destination. Now, JITF Company had written a letter to the state government stating not to continue with the work. The firm has also filed a case claiming Rs 754 crore from the civic body in the arbitrator panel.

Rs 288-crore sewerage and water supply project

To provide 100 per cent water supply and sewerage facility to city residents, a Rs 288-crore project was given to Noida-based Triveni company. The poor working of the company has gained more anger than appreciation from residents.

The project was to be completed by the end of 2016, but till date, the company has been able to complete only 30-40 per cent work. Since the initial stage, the company and Sewerage Board officials are passing the buck on each other for poor progress of the project.

City bus service project

The city bus service has suffered as a few buses out the 20 mini-buses, meant for the inner city area, are now plying on outer routes. There is confusion over the timetable followed by these mini-buses as well. In 2012, 10 (52-seater) low floor buses were introduced and the project was handed over to the PRTC for its operation and maintenance. Even in 2016, the PRTC moved out of the contract with the civic body over operating these buses.

At that time, the MC had planned to operate these buses on its own. It had floated a tender in this regard, but no bus contractor showed interest in operating them. Thereafter, the PRTC was told to operate them.

Multi-storey car parking 

The multi-storey parking project has been hanging fire for the past 10 years. Initially, it was proposed at the fire brigade building in 2009, but failed to materialise.

Later, the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) had planned to construct a multi-level parking at the site of the elementary school building on Mall Road. For which, the BDA had got the site vacated from the school under the Optimum Use of Vacant Government Land (OUVGL) scheme.

Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had also laid the foundation stone in December 2016 ahead of the Assembly elections, but the project failed to take off.

Owing to inadequate parking space, residents have to park vehicles outside the yellow line for which they are penalised by the traffic police. The MC has prepared a new project for this, but still the work on the ground is yet to start.

Sterilisation project 

The MC’s sterilisation project for dogs seems to have been grounded, as a result, city residents are facing a tough time due to the stray dog menace.

An Aligarh-based foundation was carrying out the work under the project, but some NGOs lodged a complaint against it and a probe was marked. Later, the company was found guilty of death of eight dogs. Subsequently, the firm was blacklisted in January last year.