Delay in Kinnigoli drinking water project irks ZP members

Expressing displeasure at the delay in completion of Kinnigoli multi-village drinking water project, the Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat members urged the authorities to cancel the tender entrusted to a contractor from Hyderabad and complete the project by making an alternative arrangement.

Raising the issue at the zilla panchayat meeting here on Monday, member Vinod Kumar Bollur said the project which was initiated in 2010-11 has not been completed even after six years. The materials for the completion of the project are lying idle. The materials worth several lakh would go waste if the project is not completed at the earliest, he said. The materials for purification of water are also lying idle at the spot without the work on purification unit.

The project of pumping water from river Shambavi in Mulky aims at supplying water to Ulipady, Yelinje, Aikala, Thalipady, Nadugoldu, Kelinjaru, Mannabettu, Kondemula, Kemral, Bellayir, Padupanambur, Haleyangadi, Pavanje, Kilpady, Athikaribettu, Kavatharu, Semanthur, Yelathur villages.

Committee maintenance

As per the government order, a committee comprising members of surrounding villages has been constituted to maintain the drinking water project after its completion. Without the completion of the project, the constitution of committee has become a waste exercise. “The villagers will have to protest if the work is not completed within two months. At the same time, a proposal for Rs 1.75 crore has been sent to the state government seeking fund for the maintenance of the project, which needs to be sanctioned by the government,” he said.

Reacting to it, department of Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation division executive engieer said that contractor has promised to complete the work within two months. However, demanding settlement of bills, the contractor has stalled the work.

The chief engineer of department of Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation has directed not to settle the bills unless the work is completed. The work on express feeder line worth Rs 40 lakh has not been taken up, the engineer said. Stating that the state government has constituted a team to look into the alleged technical quality of the work under the guidance of chief engineer, zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer P I Sreevidya said that the minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development has clearly instructed the officials not to pay the contractor till the work is complete.

After much discussion, the zilla panchayat President  Meenakshi Shanthigodu said the decision of the project will be taken within a month after appraising the problem to the chief engineer.

Sewage

Zilla panchayat member Koragappa Naik said that residents of Ujire have been worried as sewage water flows on to the road.

The absence of drain has worsened the situation. When it rains, sewage mixes with rain water and stagnates on the road for a long time. Without proper system, the sewage from hotels and houses flow in open, thus polluting the nearby water bodies.

To which, Swaccha Bharath Mission Project coordinator Manjula said owing to lack of government land, the work on Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Ujire could not be taken up.

“We require three cents land for the STP,” she said.