PEC team to audit Manimajra 24x7 water supply project

The Municipal Corporation has hired the services of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) experts to conduct a third party audit of the pilot project for 24x7 water supply in Manimajra.

In a letter to the Director, PEC Deemed University, the Executive Engineer, Public Health Division No. 2, MC, stated that the project was executed under the Smart City Mission by Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL). As per the agreement, the firm had to appoint a third-party inspection agency. Since it did not exist any longer, the project was entrusted to the civic body. The MC had to ensure that the project was executed in full compliance with the technical specifications and standards mentioned in the agreement.

“Accordingly, you are requested to nominate a team as the third-party inspection agency for the project,” the official added. The scope of the inspection will include water distribution system, pumping machinery, underground service reservoir, construction of water works, smart water metering. The MC will provide access to site records, drawings, testing data and other relevant documentation required by the inspection agency.

Sources said PEC recently agreed to conduct the inspection. In a letter to the MC, the principal investigator sought certain details of the project, including source and demand of water supply, pipe sizing and hydraulics, pressure at consumer-end, reservoir design, requirements of valves, pumping machinery design, smart water meter implementation, detection and plugging of leakage, and non-revenue water.

The project was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August last year. Funds to the tune of Rs 75 crores were allocated for the project under Smart City Mission.

The Vigilance Department had started a probe after city BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra wrote a letter to Shah, alleging corruption in the project. Malhotra stated that the whole project had collapsed and nobody was held accountable for the wastage of Rs 75 crores.

The project was launched to upgrade the existing water supply infrastructure by retrofitting existing as well as setting up proposed infrastructure facilities for converting intermediate water supply to 24X7 pressurised water supply to each and every household in Manimajra.

As part of the project, two underground water reservoirs, each with a capacity of 2 MGD (million gallons per day), have been constructed by the CSCL. Besides, 13,700 water meters in Manimajra have been replaced with ultrasonic smart water meters to ensure a smart billing system.