Karnal: Work under AMRUT scheme to be completed on risk & cost basis

Parveen Arora

Karnal, August 12

Work on laying sewers, storm water lines, constructing sewage treatment plants (STPs), installing water harvesting system, and intermediate pumping stations (IPS) under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) project, one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is hanging fire for the past several months.

Despite several deadlines, two agencies have failed to complete the work, following which the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) has imposed penalties on these agencies. The KMC is now planning to get the remaining work done on risk and cost basis, for which it has sent the case to the state technical committee.

“Under the AMRUT project, various works were to be done, for which different agencies were hired. On failing to complete the work, we have imposed a penalty of around Rs 12 crore on one agency and Rs 9.24 crore on another agency for not completing the work after several deadlines. An agency has been given a deadline of September to complete its work. The remaining work of both agencies, which were penalised, will be completed on risk and cost basis,” said Naresh Narwal, Commissioner, KMC.

“We are hopeful, the work will be completed soon,” said the Commissioner.

As per information, TPL-KIPL JV agency had to lay sewers in the deficit colonies along with 20 MLD STP at Phoosgarh, 8MLD STP in Shiv Colony, IPSs in Sugar Mill and Saidpura. The work was started on November 15, 2017, and the first deadline was October, 2019, later it was extended to March 31, 2020, and further to December 31, 2020 as the agency had failed to complete the work.

Later, the deadline was extended to June 30, 2021, and further deadline was extended to February 28, 2022. So far, around 147km lines have been laid in these colonies, while 85 per cent work of Phoosgarh STP, 75 per cent of STP Shiv Colony, 90 per cent of IPS at Sugar Mill, and 80 per cent of IPS at Saidpura have been completed. KKSIL Triveni JV agency had to lay 38 km RCC box storm water lines, four rainwater harvesting systems in Jhanjhari, Uchana, Dholgarh and Saidpura and four IPSs at Meri Ghati, Saidpura, and Sector 5, but so far, around 34.27km drain lines have been laid. The work on these lines, IPSs and water harvesting systems, was started on July 1, 2017, and it was to be completed on January 31, 2019, but the project agency failed to meet the first deadline.