VELLORE: The infrastructure projects carried out in Vellore under the Smart Cities Mission got delayed for a long time due to various reasons. Major trouble faced by the residents and motorists is the non-completion of road works all over the city.
The Smart Cities Projects were started in 2018 and got pushed away due to the pandemic and subsequent labour shortage. Vellore City Municipal Corporation (VCMC) Commissioner Ashok Kumar, recently in a meeting with the contractors, said though 655 km roads should be laid under the Smart Cities scheme, only 200 km roads have been laid so far. He urged the contractors to complete the Underground sewage system (UGSS) projects as soon as possible.
The roads can be laid only after the proper establishment of Vellore District Combined Water Supply Scheme house connections and UGSS machine holes (earlier called manholes). However, there is a lot of disturbance in this work.
The process of awarding complicated the construction process and led to confusion, a person familiar with the matter told TNIE. Sources in Vellore City Municipal Corporation (VCMC) said the delay was mainly due to damages to the Underground sewage system (UGSS) lines and water connection pipes. They have been damaged in most of the residential areas. The Corporation officials are ensuring there are no damages in the house service connections before laying roads, said a senior official, on condition of anonymity. "It has become double work and the reason behind the delay," added the official.
The Corporation engineers, officials and contractors, along with the newly elected ward members are working on pressure checking methods phase by phase. However, authorities cannot agree on a date of completion of projects.
The UGSS projects were carried out under the Center's AMRUT scheme (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation). But, in a few places, there is a problem with establishing sewer lines due to hard rocks. "We have asked for permission to blast rocks," a UGSS official told TNIE.
Getting the work done is going to be a challenging task for newly elected Mayor Sujatha. "The works were delayed due to various reasons, but we're expediting the development projects, and it will be completed soon," she told TNIE.