VISAKHAPATNAM: EVEN as the Port City is all geared up to become the Smart City, the ambitious underground drainage (UGD) project undertaken by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) almost a decade ago at an estimated cost of `245 crore is yet to be completed.
Though the project undertaken under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), envisaging connecting all households and business establishments with a comprehensive underground drainage system in a stretch of 775 km in the central city area was supposed to be completed in 2010.
A few days ago, the BJP city unit claimed that hardly 40 per cent of the city’s population had access to underground drainage though the project has been under implementation for a decade now.
Of the 19 blocks in which the project is being implemented, works have been completed only in eight blocks, the leaders claimed.
Further, of the proposed 14 storm water canals proposed for easy let-out of rain water, only two have been built so far.
And with this inordinate delay in completion of the project, the estimated project cost has escalated from `245 crore to `300 crore. The GVMC engineering officials claim that the phase one of the project will be completed soon.
Meanwhile, some works grounded a few years ago have been damaged and the contractors are not willing to take up the repairs, saying that the agreement time is already over.
The officials say they are facing several roadblocks while grounding the works.
“The project is delayed due to several reasons. The convent junction STP is ready. The works are being delayed for want of permission from the railways. They give permission only after conducting social audit and we get the clearances in phases,” said GVMC superintending engineer (UGD works) Venkateswara Rao.
Further, as per the norms all households should connect their drains to the UGD on their own expenditure as the GVMC will lay the pipelines till the compound walls only. Though, the new constructions are connected to the main pipeline, owners of old houses are shying away from it as it incurs expenditure, he said.