ONGOLE: The Union government has sanctioned Rs 744.34 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme to improve civic infrastructure in four Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Prakasam district.
Funds have been allocated to the Ongole Municipal Corporation (Rs 424.42 crore), Darsi (Rs 130.61 crore), Podili (Rs 126.17 crore), and Markapur (Rs 63.14 crore) for drinking water, drainage, sanitation, and internal roads. The Markapur water supply scheme will source water from the Gottipadiya resource point.
District Public Health Engineering SE Sanjay has inspected the proposed water sources and submitted a feasibility report.
The Union government has directed that the funds be used strictly for drinking water supply, drainage and seepage maintenance, and household tap connections.
Tenders have been called for all four ULB projects, with submissions due by July 30. Ongole Municipal Commissioner Dr K Venkateswara Rao said the Rs 424.42 crore sanctioned for Ongole is split into two packages.
The first package includes Rs 381.70 crore—Rs 320.05 crore for construction (18 overhead tanks, three filtration plants, and 535 km of new pipelines) and Rs 61.25 crore for 10-year maintenance.
The second package includes Rs 42.72 crore—Rs 34.68 crore for construction (one filtration plant and 35 km pipelines) and Rs 8.04 crore for maintenance.