Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Oct 22: No more funding due to abandoning of the Central scheme and alleged inertia on the part of State Government have put brakes on the completion work of already much delayed Jammu Sewerage Treatment Project, which has so far missed three deadlines during the last more than five years.
Despite completion of hundred percent work on Sewerage Treatment Plants and laying of Main Trunk Line as well as 70 percent Lateral Line, the executing agency is not providing house hold connections because of non-availability of funds to carry out the required work, official sources informed the Excelsior.
Even as the National Building Construction Corporation Ltd (NBCC), the executing agency, has completed more than ninety percent work by incurring less than fifty percent of the project outlay thus reducing total cost of the Scheme from Rs 129 crores to approximately Rs 95 crores only, the State Government is allegedly not coming forward to finance last phase of the work, sources added.
Due to constant delay in releasing the funds for finishing the work, much talked about sewerage treatment project for disposal of bath room waste and drainage water for proper sanitation of the city, is still a dream for Jammu people, who were subjected to unprecedented hardships during the laying of sewer lines.
Funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) through Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission (JNURM), this Sewerage Project comprises of 26.53 kms of Trunk Sewer Line and 65.50 kms of Lateral Sewer Line, which are to be connected with house hold connections for disposal of entire sludge, bath room waste etc to maintain proper sanitation of the city. The major components of the Project included 27 MLD Sewerage Treatment Plant at Bhagwati Nagar, Trunk Sewer Line and Lateral Lines.
Started in February 2008 with a deadline for completion in February 2010, the project remained delayed since then because of various technical and other reasons. After October 2014, March 2015 was the last deadline of the project, fixed by the executing agency.
While congestion of Jammu city and non-implementation of the administrative reforms by the State Government caused earlier delay in executing work and release of funds, respectively, the entire project has now come to a standing halt after the Central Government completely abandoned its Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission Scheme, under which the Jammu Sewerage Project was being funded.
Even as the State Government was apprised of the situation during the last District Development Board meeting of Jammu, so far there has been no progress in respect of releasing funds to finish the pending work, sources informed.
“In case the Government releases funds, even in phased manner, we will immediately start providing house hold connections in 70 percent area under the scheme as STP at Bhagwati Nagar is 100 percent ready after its recently held trial run while the work on Trunk Sewer Line is also almost complete,” said Mohd Rafiq, GM of NBCC.
Regarding 30 percent pending work on Lateral Lines, Mr Rafiq explained that digging was not possible in some extremely narrow lanes of the Old city and therefore it was decided to cover this area in last phase, under which the existing drains were to be properly covered and then linked with the Trunk Sewer Line.
When contacted, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh, who holds the portfolio of Housing and Urban Development Department, said that the State Government has agreed to provide required finances for completion of the project and funds would be released as early as possible. “A formal proposal in this regard has been forwarded and the funds are likely to be released soon to make the project operational,” he added.
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