Grant under central govt project for Jalandhar plant on the verge of lapse
JALANDHAR : Central government’s ₹111 crore grant under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for upgrading the Phorliwal Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) seems to be the verge of lapse.
The civic body, which received the sanction from the Union ministry of urban development in the last week of April, has failed to float the tender for the project. The officials say the municipal corporation is waiting for the final decision on the proposal mooted by Cantonment MLA Pargat, concerning the Phorliwal STP.
“There is a big possibility that the Union ministry will cancel the grant sanctioned to us as we have crossed the time period of floating the tender long ago,” said an official of the operation and maintenance (O&M) department to Hindustan Times.
The official added that after getting the proposed grants sanction, MCJ is required to float the tender within a fortnight but they are yet to receive the final order of the local bodies department on whether to go ahead with their initial plan or consider the recommendation made by MLA Pargat Singh.
In a meeting on May 8, MLA Pargat Singh had proposed the shifting of Pholriwal plant, five km away from its current place. The MLA had said the residents in the area had raised concerns over the proximity of the STP from their establishments. The meeting was attended by the officials of district administration and Punjab Sewerage Board.
Doubts were also raised on the financial feasibility of the project as the cost of shifting the plant from its current location was estimated to be around ₹1,000 crore.
PLANT UPGRADE
As part of the project, the MC had planned to upgrade the system as per the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) norms that ask for a reduction to a constituent of biochemical oxygen in treated water to 10 BOD (Biochemical oxygen demand) from the current 30 BOD, which is currently released in the Kala Sanghian drain.
WHAT IS AMRUT?
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) was launched by the Center in June 2015 with an aim of providing basic civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, transport, parks to improve the quality of life for poor and disadvantaged. It focuses on giving better infrastructure to the citizens.