The Hindu                 24.05.2013

Sewage plant to go on stream on June 30

Kaavya Pradeep Kumar

Muttathara unit to process 40 million litres a day.

Electrical works for the Muttathara sewage treatment plant have been completed and the unit would be commissioned on June 30, said sources associated with the funding agency, Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP). The pre-commissioning activities will begin by the second week of June. Officials hope that the plant would start functioning from July 15 after one-month trial phase.

The KSUDP empowerment committee meeting was held on Wednesday. It was decided to re-tender the works associated with the branches for the expansion of the sewerage network. This, they said, would not impact the completion of construction activities at the plant and that by mid-July, the modern plant would begin processing 40 million litres a day, which is being collected from the city at present. This existing network would include only 35 per cent of the area within the Corporation limits.

The plant, which is Centrally-funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), will have capacity of 107 MLD. To reach this figure, the network would have to be laid out to all peripheral wards. The entire network cannot be taken up during the year, but may take up to five years. Hence, this would figure under the next phase of JNNURM.

The Empowerment Committee includes the five Corporation Mayors, who boycotted the meeting in protest against, what they claimed, was the dominance of officials and the sidelining of democratically elected representatives. Mayor K. Chandrika told The Hindu that the tenders should be awarded now as the funds would lapse in March 2014

Ajit Kumar, KSUDP project director, explained that tenders had to be recalled as the verification of estimate costs revealed that they were on the higher side. For instance, as per the 2012 Schedule of Rates, the cost of stoneware pipes is Rs. 65 a unit and the estimate prepared by contractors quoted Rs. 97. This would run into crores of rupees. Moreover, even if they were to award tenders immediately, the monsoon would impede any development and therefore they can use those two months to recast the estimates and analyse the bids.

The Pioneer               23.05.2013

RMC approves Rs2 cr for prettier ponds

The amount was sanctioned at the first meeting of the newly constituted board of the civic body held on Wednesday. The board proposed budget for the financial year 2013-14 which provided for an expenditure of Rs52.32 crores against an income of Rs60.49 crore.

In a bid to provide “convenient and cost-effective’ transportation to commuters, the civic body has decided to buy 10 low-floor AC/diesel buses and 20 standard non-AC/diesel buses. Taking a note of dysfunctional electric crematorium, RMC sanctioned Rs15.6 lakhs for energy and other expenses of the crematorium and also Rs17.20 lakhs were sanctioned for fogging machines.

As per the provisions under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) RMC sanctioned 25 per cent of its income (Rs9.33 crores) for basic service to the Urban Poor. The amount will be spent in mounting vapour lights on electric poles, repairing roads, water supply pipes, drains and constructing public toilets.

In the meeting the RMC iterated its resolve to make available water connection to every household and decided to sanction water connection with any proof of identity and made it clear that users will not be required to submit their holding numbers for getting water connection, which hitherto was mandatory.

“Any identity proof will serve the purpose. To mark the decision to sanction water connection without asking for holding numbers we are going to issue water connection on the basis of new provisions to at least one user on Thursday at 11am,” said deputy mayor S Vijayvargiya.

Besides, RMC also sanctioned Rs55 lakhs for construction of roads and Rs10 lakhs each for construction of drains and culverts across the city.

The board also took a conscious decision to sanction Rs6 lakhs for issuing gloves, boots and uniforms to its labourers.

With a view to ensure that rickshaw-pullers could reap maximum benefit of the welfare schemes run by Government the civic body decided to issue licences to them.

The foot path vendors are one of the major sources of traffic nuisances.

In order to organise and place them in a certain place the corporation has chosen 13 places in city and is developing them as vending zones. A sum of Rs36 lakhs has been sanctioned for raising amenities at the vending zones.