With the extended deadline of March for the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme fast approaching, the city Corporation has still some way to go, having completed 187 out of the total 270 projects. The total expenditure stands at 44.91%, with maximum spendings being in water supply projects, for which 67% of the funds allocated have been spent, as per figures till last week.
Two years ago, the capital city was leading in the number of projects implemented under the scheme, among nine local bodies across the State where the scheme is being implemented. Now it stands fifth behind Alappuzha, Guruvayur, Kannur and Palakkad. However, among the large Corporations, the city is still leading by some distance in project implementation. In the amount spent too, the Corporation leads the rest with an expenditure of ₹160.48 crore. The total cost of all the projects being implemented in the Corporation is ₹357.50 crore. Thiruvananthapuram is way ahead of the rest of the nine urban local bodies in the State in the number of projects completed too.
Initial phase
In the initial years of the project, comparatively smaller sewerage, water supply and storm-water drainage projects were completed. Out of a total of 103 storm-water drainage projects, 88 have already been completed. Work on the 75-mld water treatment plant at Aruvikkara, one of the major projects in the city under AMRUT, has been completed and is expected to be commissioned soon.
The least percentage of utilisation is for projects related to urban transport, for which only ₹4.82 crore out of the ₹31.73 crore allocated has been utilised till now. One of the major projects under this is the multi-level parking lot inside the Corporation office, which has not yet been opened to the public despite the formal inauguration two months ago. The work on two more parking lots at Putharikkandam and Medical College are remaining.
In the four projects related to green spaces and parks, the fund utilisation is 24.96% only.
Tenders awarded
Among the projects to be completed, tenders have been awarded and works started for all the projects, except 12 projects related to sewages. Though tendering of most works was done much earlier, several of them got stuck after the COVID-19 pandemic struck, with workers becoming unavailable. Now, it is a race against time to complete the projects as a new administration has taken charge at the Corporation.
