City's Underground Drainage Scheme Under Scanner

The People’s Watchdog Committee on City Development Plan has faulted the Coimbatore Corporation’s approach to implementing the Rs.377-crore underground drainage scheme that is to be implemented under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). A meeting of the committee on Sunday, involving experts in the field, observed that the civic body had not followed properly the norms laid down by the mission. The meeting concluded that this gave room for charges of irregularities. It wanted the development plan reviewed.

In a statement here by coordinator of the committee Pon. Chandran said it was obvious that the Corporation did not adhere to the norms with regard to ensuring the participation of people and their representatives, and seeking opinions of experts. Despite it had been pointed out that the City Development Plan and the drainage scheme’s detailed project report were faulty, the resolutions were passed using the “brute majority” in the Council. The project report for the drainage scheme was submitted by a Hyderabad-based company, whose track record could not be ascertained as they did not have even a website, the statement alleged.

The 90-page report had drawn heavily from the City Development Plan submitted by a U.S.-based infrastructure consultancy firm. The report should be reviewed as it had marketed a particular technology for sewage treatment plants. Nothing had been said to justify the choice of the technology. The experts who took part in the meeting felt that the suggested technology (cyclic activated sludge process) was the most capital intensive, involving huge running cost for operation and maintenance. The capital expenditure was ten times that of the least expensive system. No wonder such a huge expenditure entailed the collection of heavy service charges from the people. The nature of the technology was such that any simple technical snag would wreck the plant. This technology could be used in areas where there were constraints in providing large areas to set up the plants.

Quoting experts, the committee said that the largest application of this technology was tested only for a population of 4.5 lakh. But, the application needed for Coimbatore was three times this figure. Therefore, the Corporation had de-centralised sewage treatment to suit the technology and not the requirements of the city.Incidentally, this technology was the monopoly of an Australian company. Hence, calling for tenders by specifying the technology only defeated the purpose of inviting competitive bids.

The committee said it was unfortunate that the Council passed the resolution on the tender despite vociferous protests from the Opposition, particularly with regard to the alleged kickbacks on the awarding of the contract. It also accused Mayor R. Venkatachalam of disregarding democracy and reneging on his promise to provide a transparent administration. Apart from the alleged kickbacks, the committee was concerned about the way the funds for all the mission schemes would be used.

The committee would hold a series of campaign for an open debate featuring national and international experts and people’s representatives. One such meeting would be held in the city on April 8. Experts in waste management would address various issues, including technology. “In the course of our campaign, we will form watchdog committees in each ward/zone and mobilise their opinion and participation for a people-centered City Development Plan,” Mr. Chandran said in the statement. The campaign would end with a ‘public hearing’ on the plan. Former judges of the Supreme Court, other legal experts and national and international experts on city development plans would form the jury.

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