JOIN USPermit delay hits BWSSB work
But too many hurdles may throw the schedule haywire. One major obstacle is the delay by various government agencies in granting permission, known as ' The Right of Way' (ROW).
The forest departments, both at the State and the Centre, have delayed permission by nine months to lay a pipeline on 1.2 sq km of forest land near Banashankari, through which the pipeline from Vajarahalli to Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra has to pass.
In HMT Layout, a 3.5-km pipeline is to be laid. The BWSSB had sought permission in June 2010. The water supply agency has to pay Rs one crore for using HMT land for laying the pipeline.
It will also execute road restoration work after the work here. Even at Nagarabhavi, BWSSB will have to pay Rs one crore, for laying the pipeline on private properties.
Another major hurdle is at the railway station area in Kengeri where the water line will
cut across railway tracks.
BDA project
The permit for this is held up due to delayed correspondence. Although there will be no obstruction for movement of trains, as BWSSB will adopt ‘trenchless technology,' the delay in grant of ROW is holding up the work.
In Bangalore East, some BDA projects may delay BWSSB work. BDA has taken up construction of five flyovers on the ring road from Mallathahalli to KR Puram. It has diverted the traffic from the main road to the service road.
The delay here is because the BWSSB has to lay water pipelines on the service road and since there is traffic movement now, work cannot be taken up. The BWSSB has to wait till BDA completes the work.
"BDA work is expected to be complete by December 2011. But we cannot wait till then, since our deadline is also December. We will have to find an alternative solution," said a BWSSB official.
Also, while there is a requirement of 4,500 labourers, only 3,200 are available. Since the byelections are over, most of them are returning now, he said. To overcome shortage of sand for the work, BWSSB is getting 'robo sand', which is crushed rocks, from Bidadi.
At present, 70 per cent of the pipeline work, 30 to 35 per cent of pump house work and 38 per cent of the ground level reservoir work, of the Cauvery IV stage and phase II project, have been completed.
Political drama
The present political crisis has also contributed to the delay in completion of the project, which is expected to supply an additional 500 million litres per day (MLD) of water to the City.
Minister S Suresh Kumar, along with heads of different government agencies, was to take up joint inspection on Monday to expedite the grant of 'permit' to the BWSSB to lay water pipelines.
Since the Minister was busy dealing with fresh crisis in the government, the joint inspection was cancelled.