PANAJI: Rushing to spend Rs 120 crore of unutilised AMRUT funds, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd and the State Level High Powered committee sanctioned funds to PWD to upgrade the city’s sewerage network.
In the hurry, PWD floated a tender for the works without undertaking a detailed study and estimate of the sewerage project in six sewage wards of Panaji.
The tenders for the laying and commissioning of a sewerage network speak about laying new pipelines, but overlook the need for diversion of sewage while the work is underway.
While the tender requires the contractor to lay new, parallel sewerage lines, the lack of space along the road would entail rehabilitation of the existing sewer network and manholes, including house connections, said sources.
According to documents, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Lts and the State Level High Powered Committee (SLHPC) decided to hand over unspent funds to PWD in February.
The SLHPC noted that the unspent amount “needs to be utilised, i.e.
tendered/awarded before March 31, 2021, in order to ensure full utilization of AMRUT Mission funds.” IPSCDL, the nodal agency to implement AMRUT, estimates the cost for upgrading Panaji’s sewerage network and sewage pumping at Rs 120 crore of which Rs 108 crore will come from the AMRUT Mission and Rs 10.5 crore from the Smart City Mission.
Based on the go ahead given by the government, PWD floated two tenders in April to lay a new sewage network in six sewage wards of Panaji, but without providing detailed estimates, digital designs, and drawings of other utility services.
“We have opened technical bids on Wednesday and financial bids will be opened later.
We have to see whether they are fitting the criteria.
PWD has received six bids in total for the two tenders,” said executive engineer Nivruti Parsekar.
“Many critical aspects are not considered in the broad estimates, like width of the roads in Panaji, underground utilities, existing sewage network, adjoining sewage scheme of Taleigao and EDC area.
Traffic diversion and existing house connections will play a crucial role in the planning and execution of the project,” said an engineer.
Take for example, Mala or the 18th June Road where the road width is 3 to 6 metres with existing sewer network in the centre, a storm water drain and several other utilities concealed under the road leaving no scope to lay any additional sewer line parallel to the existing one.
The contractor will have to replace the existing sewer network.
The tender also estimates that the project will be completed in 12 months, but this does not seem likely, said a PWD source.
Panaji’s sewerage network is divided in 10 wards and has approximately 45km of pipelines and eight pumping stations.
The network is close to 40 years old.
The Taleigao sewerage project has been under construction since 2010.
The 15 MLD STP at St Inez, which was completed in 2017, is running at mere 10% capacity as most parts have not been linked to the Taleigao STP at St Inez.