The Union Ministry of Urban Development has approved the release of Rs. 71.28 crore for the ongoing project of laying interceptor sewers along the three major drains in Delhi for curtailing pollution in the Yamuna. The Ministry is confident that the project, which is still half way through, will meet the March 2014 deadline.
The inceptor sewers project is the Delhi Jal Board’s big ticket programme aimed at resuscitating the dying Yamuna and pegged at Rs. 1,337.71 crore with an additional central assistance commitment of Rs.475.20 crore.
The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) on JNNURM has given the heads up for the release of the second instalment for the project.
“The physical progress of the project is about 55 percent with delay in the project being caused by delay in getting permissions from the Department of Forests and the Railways Authorities and also in acquisition and handing over of land by the DDA. The project is likely to be completed by March, 2014,” said an official.
Recently the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its report had expressed reservation about the project. It has found fault in the award of work to Engineers India Limited. “The audit observed that the consultancy work was awarded to EIL on nomination basis with consultation fee as four per cent against one per cent in other projects. This was in violation of CVC guidelines and led to an extra financial burden on the DJB of Rs. 34.5 crore,” the report cited.
The CSMC also approved a new project of BRTS of 31 km for the city of Amritsar in Punjab. The approved cost of the project is Rs. 49554 Lakh with a central share of 50 percent. The proposal will now be processed for approval of Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.
The CSMC approved the proposal for the release of fourth instalment of Rs. 36.78 crore for BRTS Phase II of Ahmadabad. The physical progress of the project as reported is 79 per cent and the project is likely to be completed by March, 2014.
