Shortage of funds leaves Vij's 460 cr SWD project in limbo
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Vijayawada: One year after the storm water drainage (SWD) project works resumed in Vijayawada, the civic body has so far completed the construction of storm water drain canals along a mere 3.42-kilometre stretch at a cost of 4.35 crore, out of the total 48.47 kilometres planned in the city.
After the change of guard in the state, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) took up the construction of the storm water drain canals (minor canals) under the SWD project in June 2024.
The SWD project, worth nearly 460 crore in central funds, was launched in Vijayawada in 2016 to create robust storm water drain canals during the previous govt. However, due to lack of payment to the contracting agency, the project has almost been stalled.
The civic body has now readied proposals to construct minor drain canals spanning around 48.47 kilometres.
In 2016, the SWD project works were awarded to L&T firm during the previous TDP-led NDA govt; however, L&T abandoned the project reportedly due to delays in the release of bills during the previous govt.
However, the municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) department, under minister P Narayana, laid special emphasis on completing the stalled storm water drain works.
Against this backdrop, the civic body readied plans to take up the construction works on a total stretch of 47.27 kilometres, filling leftover gaps primarily focusing on major junctions besides constructing minor drains across 64 wards in three circles in the city.
It is learnt that the dearth of funds is the main reason behind the slow execution of works. According to the civic body authorities, the municipal corporation requires about 173.05 crore to complete the storm water drain canals remaining on the 47.27-kilometre stretch, which were grounded last year.
CPM state secretariat member Ch Babu Rao squarely blamed the state govt and municipal corporation for failing to effectively utilise the central funds sanctioned for the SWD project in 2016 for the city.
"While the SWD works were executed in an unplanned manner, leaving gaps along the constructed stretches without proper outlets for the outfall drains, even at places where storm water drain canal construction was completed, it has been creating a chaotic situation during rains in the city," he observed.
A senior VMC official told TOI that the civic body would hire a private contracting agency to identify and assess the total pending works pertaining to the SWD project 2016 and funds required to complete those works. "After the agency subimits a report to the civic body regarding the total extent of storm water drain canals remaining under the SWD project and the total outlay required to complete; the civic body would submit a report to the state government to seek the requisite funds," the VMC added.
As per the preliminary estimiates of the civic body, a whopping 500 crore would be required to complete the remaining construction of the storm water drain canals in the city.
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