Chandigarh: Pan-city 24x7 water supply project moves step further

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, December 20

Pan-city 24×7 water supply project has moved a step further as financial bids of six agencies shortlisted for providing long-term assistance on it were opened today.

Now, evaluation of the six firms under the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) process is being done by the Municipal Corporation. Under this selection system, a weighted average of marks of technical evaluation and financial bid will be calculated. The firm getting the highest score will be entrusted with the job of providing long-term technical assistance (LTTA) in operations and other aspects for five years for the Rs 510-crore project.

MoU for Rs 510-cr project inked in Dec

• Successful firm to be entrusted with the job of providing technical assistance in operations and other aspects for five years
• Based on its reports, a tender will be floated to hire an agency to carry out the project work — installing smart meters etc
• MC signed MoU with Agence Française de Développement of France, with the support of the European Union in December last year
• It is a Rs 510-crore project, Rs 412 crore AFD’s soft loan and Rs 98 cr European Union’s grant
• A pilot project of 24×7 water supply in Mani Majra is nearing completion

Based on the LTTA reports, a tender will be floated to hire an agency to carry out the project work, installing smart meters etc.

The civic body had signed an agreement with a French financial institution, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), with the support of the European Union at Raj Bhavan in December last year to provide 24×7 water supply to the city. It is a Rs 510-crore project — Rs 412 crore AFD’s soft loan and Rs 98 crore European Union’s grant. The loan will be paid by the residents in their soon-to-be increased monthly bills.

In addition to this pan-city project, a pilot project of 24×7 water supply in Mani Majra is nearing completion and is expected to be inaugurated in a few days. A total of 12,700 ordinary water meters are being replaced with ultrasonic smart ones. With the smart meters, the reading will be visible on the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The project will also put to an end the problem of water contamination and reducing the water wastage from current 35% to 15%.

The project will benefit a population of 1,09,000 in Mani Majra. Modern Housing Complex (MHC), Shivalik Enclave, Indira Colony, Shastri Nagar and Old Mani Majra will be covered under the pilot project.

Chandigarh Smart City Limited had allocated the Mani Majra project to SBE Engineering and Infrastructure Private Limited for Rs 162 crore.