Fund crunch: Solan’s long wait for sewerage drags on

The sewerage connectivity remains a distant dream for residents of Solan city, as a much-hyped Rs 188 crore project failed to secure funding under the centrally-sponsored Namami Gange programme. The project aimed to connect the entire city, including the newly merged areas of Shamti, Deonghat, Dhadhog and Kather, but has been hanging fire since the proposal was sent in September 2023.

The central authorities raised objections, asking the executing agency, the Jal Shakti Department (JSD), to first lay the piped network independently and then seek funds for the sewage treatment plants (STPs). This conditional approach left the department in a bind, unable to mobilise the necessary funds to initiate work, as confirmed by Ashish Rana, Executive Engineer, JSD, Solan.

The dream of citywide sewerage coverage isn’t new. Attempts were made as early as 1994 and again in 2008. The town was then divided into five zones for phased implementation. However, only Zone B—which includes Officers’ Colony, Madhuban Colony, Rajgarh Road, Kotla Nala, Tank Road, Lower Bazar and Hospital Road—saw partial success. Around 1,500 connections were proposed here and about 850 were eventually released. Yet, even these were hampered by constraints such as lack of space for pipeline connections.

After areas like Salogra, Kather and Saproon were merged into the municipal corporation in 2020, a new zone was created. Hoping to extend the scheme to the newly expanded municipal area, the JSD submitted another detailed project report worth Rs 175 crore to the state government in September 2022. This included Rs 4.55 crore earmarked for acquiring private land, but no funds were sanctioned.

Solan Municipal Commissioner Ekta Kapta, who has been pushing the project along with the JSD, shared that a resolution passed earlier this year approved a grant of Rs 8.5 crore. However, the JSD was first required to submit budget estimates for laying the sewage network. In the absence of this groundwork and due to bureaucratic delays, even Rs 2.5 crore sanctioned by the state government in 2023 had to be returned when unused funds were recalled.

Additionally, a sanitation grant under the 15th Finance Commission remains unutilised as the authorities await a detailed project report outlining zone-wise cost estimates. Commissioner Kapta revealed that while full coverage isn’t immediately possible, the department is now considering smaller interventions—like ward-wise channelisation of sewage-laden nullahs—using whatever funds are available under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Despite a 2021 civic poll promise by the Congress to ensure sewerage connectivity across Solan, areas like Kather, the Housing Board colonies, and Saproon continue to remain excluded. Residents are left frustrated, with neither the necessary funds nor political will seemingly in place to provide this essential service.