Five years on, Rs 110-crore sewer line project finally receives NOC

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Faridabad, April 20

The no-objection certificate (NOC) for the construction of the 5.4-km sewer line along the Agra canal here has finally been approved.

The Rs 110 crore project was launched five years ago but had been held up for over three years due to the lack of permission from the UP Government.

The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) has deposited Rs 64 lakh with the departments concerned as part of the process to get the NOC, according to sources in the civic body.

While Rs 32 lakh was deposited four years ago for getting permission from the Irrigation Department, the second payment of Rs 42 lakh was recently made to the Forest Department of UP, paving the way for the grant of the NOC that had been pending for the past five years.

The land, where the project has been taken up, belongs to the UP Government. Although funds to the tune of Rs 82 crore have already been spent, the lack of approval from various departments stalled the project, said an MC official.

It is revealed that the NOC has been approved after consistent perusal and efforts made at the level of the office of the Chief Secretary, Haryana, as the authorities had declined to provide permission, delaying the project for many years.

It is further claimed that the civic body will have to issue a fresh tender for the project as the contractor hired in 2018 has refused to do the work now. The authorities concerned will not only have to wait till the conclusion of the election process, but will have to seek funds of around Rs 15 crore for the completion of the project, it is reported.

The project envisaged the laying of 1,800-mm diameter RCC (reinforced concrete cement) pipeline from Kheri village to Mirzapur STP for treating sewage of several parts of the city. It will help in transporting untreated waste to the 80 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) at Mirzapur village.

The pipeline was to be laid in the green belt alongside the Agra canal passing through the city within 18 months.

After its launch in 2019, the contractor, who was assigned the project, had procured pipes and required infrastructure, but could not start the work of laying pipeline despite spending a majority of the funds as the NOC was not received from the departments concerned.

“The city is disposing of around 80 per cent of the untreated waste into rivers or drains in the wake of poor treatment capacity,” said Vishnu Goel, a social activist.

Birender Kardam, Chief Engineer, MC, Faridabad, said, “The project is expected to resume soon after the elections as we have finally received the approvals.”

Authorities to issue fresh tender after elections

• The project envisaged the laying of 1,800-mm diameter RCC (reinforced concrete cement) pipeline from Kheri village to Mirzapur STP for treating sewage of several parts of the city.
• The pipeline was to be laid in the green belt alongside the Agra canal passing through the city within 18 months.
• Although funds to the tune of Rs 82 crore have already been spent, the lack of approval from various departments stalled the project, said an MC official.
• It is further claimed that the civic body will have to issue a fresh tender as the contractor hired in 2018 has refused to do the work now.
• The authorities will not only have to wait till the conclusion of the election process, but will have to seek funds of around Rs 15 crore for the completion of the project, it is reported.

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