All three Guwahati water schemes running late

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, July 19: All the three water supply schemes in Guwahati are running much behind schedule and none of them are likely to meet the targeted date of completion, raising fears of huge cost escalations.

The Japanese Intertiol Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted South Central Guwahati & North Guwahati Water Supply Project, which has hit the headlines in the wake of a US consultancy firm being charged with bribing officials with several crores to win the project, is targeted to be completed by 2016. But, officials said only 41 per cent of the work has been completed so far. The project commenced in 2010. Out of the estimated Rs 1,427 crore, an amount of Rs 298 crore has been released for the project so far.

The Rs 360.31-crore South West Guwahati Water Supply Project under JNNURM, commenced on 2009 and was scheduled to be completed in 30 months. The target date for completion has been revised twice, but it is still to be completed. Sources said till December, 2014, an amount of Rs 326.10 crore has been released for the project. Less than 30 per cent of the ADB-funded South East Guwahati Water Supply Project has been completed so far. The project intends to supply water to 17 wards besides having components of storage reservoir and pipelines. The work started in 2013 and the target date for completion is May, 2016. Till December last year, an amount of Rs 7.5 crore of the total cost estimated at Rs 104.45 crore has been released for the project.