UGD project gets cleared

Drainage work to cost Rs. 53.92 crore

The project would be taken up with funding from both Union and State governments and Kundapur town municipal council.

A State government committee has approved an underground drainage project for Kundapur town in Udupi district. Another underground sewage project for Moodbidri town in Dakshina Kannada is awaiting the approval from the Union government.

An empowered committee of the State government approved the Rs. 53.92 crore project for Kundapur, according to L.N. Anand, Executive Engineer, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), Mangalore Division.

Earlier a Union government committee had approved this project.

The project would be taken up with funding from both Union and State governments and Kundapur town municipal council.

The Union government would contribute its share of Rs. 37.89 crore under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns.

The State government would bear Rs. 11.28 crore and the urban local body would have to contribute Rs. 4.74 crore.

He said when implemented the project would cover about 80 per cent area of Kundapur town.

It required acquisition of 7.25 acres for taking up the project.

In that except 25 cents of government land the remaining was private land. Preliminary notification had been issued to acquire four acres of land.

There would be one sewage treatment plant (STP), five wet wells (for pumping sewage water to the STP) and two sceptic tanks (or mini treatment plant) under the project, he said.

The challenges for implementing the project were acquiring private land and obtaining permission from the National Highways Authority of India for laying pipelines below (across) the four-lane highway.

The board was in touch with the NHAI for obtaining permission.

Mr. Anand said that a Rs. 57.57-crore UGD project proposed for Moodbidri town was awaiting the formal approval from the Union government. Of the 29 acres sought by the KUWSDB for implementing the project in Moodbidri, preliminary notification had been issued to acquire 23 acres.

Mr. Anand said the estimate for supplying drinking water to Saligrama town from Kavadi Hole was in the final stages of completition.