Finally, a consultant appointed for Pune’s river development project
Pune MP Anil Shirole said that the Centre has appointed a London-based consultant M/s Pell Frischmann for the river development project and has issued the letter for it.
Six months after the Mula-Mutha river development proposal was approved, the central government has appointed a consultant for the plan that is implemented with the financial help from Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
Pune Member of Parliament Anil Shirole said that the Centre has appointed a London-based consultant M/s Pell Frischmann for the river development project and has issued the letter for it.
“I thank Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan for his support. We can now hope to complete the project on time,” said Shirole.
Hindustan Times, on July 16, had reported that the project has been stalled as the Centre was unable to appoint a consultant. Soon after the report, BJP MP Shirole convened a meeting with the Pune municipal commissioner for an update on the status of the project and to understand the reasons for the delay.
Shirole called another meeting with minister Vardhan recently and the latter instructed to appoint a consultant immediately.
The Mula-Mutha river which passes through the city is one of the 302 polluted rivers of the country. The discharge of untreated domestic waste into the river due to inadequate sewage treatment facilities is among the major reasons for the high level of pollution in the river.
The overall goal of the project is to improve the water quality and river ecology and prevent the pollution of Mula-Mutha river. The project involves the interception, diversion and treatment of domestic sewage generated and discharged into the river. Institutional strengthening, capacity building and public awareness for sustainability of projects are among the other goals of the project. The project includes augmentation of sewage treatment capacity in a comprehensive manner and construction of 24 community toilets in slum areas to check open defecation along the river banks.
It was on June 13, 2016 that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had signed a loan agreement with JICA for pollution control measures by January 2022. Under the agreement, the government of Japan is committed to provide a soft loan of ₹1,000 crore to India for the project at an interest rate of 0.30 percentage per annum.