The Rameswaram island is all set to have underground sewage system, which had been eluding the island for four years after the project was sanctioned in September 2012.
After the Rs. 53.10-crore project was sanctioned, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, could not implement it immediately as no company came forward to take up the work citing difficult working conditions in the island. After making seven vain bids after floating tenders in the last four years, the board found a Hyderabad-based company evincing interest in the tender called for the eighth time in February this year, sources said. “The company will start work after the tender committee finalised the tender and awarded the work order in a month,” the sources told The Hindu on Saturday. Companies did not evince interest in the project as they feared seepage of seawater and sand slide when they dig channels to lay pipelines. The Hyderabad-based company has quoted 35 per cent above the project cost and it is likely to be awarded the contract, sources said. “We are confident of executing the project within the stipulated period of 18 months,” the sources said.
The project was funded by the Centre under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), State government and the local municipality on 50, 20 and 30 per cent basis respectively. As this island has been included in the Ramayana circuit, the project would get funding assistance under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
The board has identified lands for establishing two pumping stations and five acres of land at Olaikuda for establishing sewage treatment plant, P. M. Mari, Executive Engineer, TWAD Board, Sewerage Division, Karaikudi, said. The plant would have capacity to treat 4 million litres of sewage a day, he said.
The sewage system would cater to about 7,000 houses and 2,500 commercial buildings, he said. The length of the mains would be 4.31 km and the collection system would run up to 13.76 km, he added.
