Work begins on 24x7 canal water supply project for Ludhiana

Nitin Jain

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 22

Finally, the work has begun on the 24x7 canal-based water supply project for the Maximum City of Punjab.

While the district administration has identified the chunks of land, the World Bank has agreed to contribute Rs 820-crore in the total scheme outlay of Rs 1,170-crore to quench the thirst of the state’s industrial hub.

Chief secy reviews progress of scheme

• Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan reviewed the progress of the scheme at a special meeting through videoconference with the district officials here recently, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma, who was monitoring the project, said.
• The Chief Secretary has directed the district administration to execute the work on the scheme on a priority basis so that the residents can start getting the adequate supply of potable water on a 24x7 basis at the earliest.

Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan reviewed the progress of the scheme at a special meeting through videoconference with the district officials here recently, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma, who was monitoring the project, told The Tribune here on Monday.

The Chief Secretary has directed the district administration to execute the work on the scheme on a priority basis so that the residents can start getting the adequate supply of potable water on a 24x7 basis at the earliest.

The ADC (Projects), Dr Neeru Katyal Gupta, who was heading the supervisory team of the project, disclosed that July 31, 2024, was fixed as the target date for completion of the scheme.

“The report on the chunks of land shortlisted for the project by the site selection committee has been sent to the Local Government Department for finalisation,” she said.

Sharing details, Dr Gupta said while the World Bank would contribute Rs 820.4 crore, which accounted for over 70 per cent of the total project cost, the state government would bear the remaining almost 30 per cent expenditure of Rs 349.6 crore.

Ludhiana was among four major cities in the state which had got the 24x7 pan city canal-based surface water supply schemes in the state Budget for the next fiscal 2021-22. Amritsar, with an outlay of Rs 686-crore, Jalandhar Rs 485-crore, and Patiala with Rs 308-crore were among other municipal towns that had been benefitted with a similar project.

Project report

According to the project report, the much-needed canal-based water supply scheme cost will exclude operation and maintenance for 10 years and will be undertaken by the state government with the help of the World Bank.

Under this ambitious project, surface-based potable water will be made available to the residents of Ludhiana, which is currently facing the problem of rapidly depleting groundwater level.

“The negotiation of the project with the World Bank has been completed and the project is proposed for approval in the ensuing Executive Committee meeting of the World Bank scheduled for March 31,” Finance Minister, Manpreet Singh Badal had disclosed while presenting the Budget proposals to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on March 8. He had added that the construction of the project would start in 2021-22.

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