No takers for Chandigarh MC scheme
Even after spending Rs 15 crore on tertiary treated water supply project to supply water to houses of one kanal and above in Sectors 31 to 48, the MC has found no takers.
Even after spending Rs 15 crore on tertiary treated water supply project to supply water to houses of one kanal and above in Sectors 31 to 48, the MC has found no takers.
The project was launched to overcome shortage of water in the city; there is a gap of 29 million gallons daily (MGD) between the demand and supply of water. The city receives 87 MGD of water against the demand of 116 MGD.
The project was ready six months ago, but the MC failed to motivate the locals for getting the connections. Recently, the MC floated a tender for supplying the tertiary treated water to those interested in taking the connections.
Unfortunately, even the MC's own horticulture department has not been using tertiary treated water for maintenance of parks in several sectors, and is using water from tubewells installed in the parks.
A senior official of the public health department said people were not aware of the scheme as the MC had not taken any steps to create awareness among the locals. Also, the horticulture department of the MC was not taking any initiative to use the water, he added.
MC commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh said, "We are thinking of making connections mandatory. Also, we will be taking steps to publicize the scheme, so that more and more people come forward to take the connections."
The project falls under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and the corporation has spent a fortune on it.
The supply of treated water to houses with area of one kanal and above besides to parks and gardens in the city will help overcome water shortage, especially during summers.
The civic body has set up a sewage treatment plant in Diggian area, near Phase 11, SAS Nagar. Sewage water would be treated here and then supplied to the four underground reserve water tanks through pipes.
The MC had planned to supply treated water first to public parks, gardens and lawns and later allot connections to households, but it has been almost six months and no connections have been given.