Uncertainty looms large over the fate of the multi-crore Underground Drainage (UGD) programme in Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar (MCK) following the inclusion of corporation in the Smart City Challenge programme of the Union government.
The ambitious UGD works were taken up in Karimnagar in March 2008 at a cost of Rs 76.50 crore. For the last eight years, the UGD works were progressing at a snail’s pace. On the other hand, the existing roads were damaged badly due to haphazard laying of UGD pipelines in entire town.
Confusion
Now, confusion is prevailing over the completion of the UGD projects as the executing agency had laid only horizontal pipelines by digging the roads, which still remained incomplete.
Now, for completion of the UGD works, the agency had to lay vertical pipelines connecting from each household to the main horizontal trunk line for carrying drainage water.
The authorities said that the completion of UGD requires additional Rs 50 crore and would once again damage the roads.
The Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) constructed as part of the UGD programme still remains incomplete and non-functional.
Ambiguity is continuing over the completion of the UGD with Minister for Finance Etala Rajender instructing the authorities to inspect whether the UGD would be of any use at this stage after remaining incomplete though the works started eight years ago. .
“If it is complete it or else dismantle the UGD works and take up roads”, he told the officials of MCK at a meeting organised on Smart City challenge programme on Friday night.
‘Check corruption’
Lok Satta Udyama Samstha district general secretary Prakash Holla said that the MCK should fulfil the norms of UGD, STP, footpaths, solid waste management, parks, underground cabling and many more things to get the Smart City programme and Union government funding.
“Smart city is the need of the day and let people become smart by saying no to corruption that is the most important thing in the present day situation,” he maintained.
When contacted Mayor Sardar Ravinder Singh said that they would convene a meeting with the UGD executing agency on Monday or Tuesday and instruct them to execute the UGD works at the earliest as it was one of the prerequisite for Smart City challenge.
