Government to blacklist errant contractor
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Karimnagar: The stage is set for cancelling the balancing reservoir to be erected as part of SRSP flood flow canal (FFC) near Ogulapur village in Chigurumamidi mandal and Thotapally of Husnabad mandal. Authorities prepared a report, shelving the project on the grounds of abnormal increase of the cost of construction. Both the Congress and Left parties have already protested against the government for thinking of shelving the project.
The balancing reservoir was envisaged for providing water from Mid-Manair Reservoir for irrigation to the upland Husnabad region in the district, at an estimated cost of Rs 131 crore and with storage capacity of 1.7 tmc of water. The executing agency of this ambitious project is Variegate Projects Priv-ate Limited, Hyderabad.
Former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy laid the foundation stone to the reservoir in 2007. Deadline for completing the construction of reservoir was 2008. But, the agency delayed work for some reasons.
Meanwhile, minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao enquired about the reservoir when he was inspecting the Gouravelli project of SRSP FFC in May last. He announced that the government would blacklist the contractor for neglecting erection of the project. As per his instructions, chief engineer of Centre of Design Organisation (CECDO) prepared a report by conducting a fresh survey over feasibility of the reservoir.
According to the feasibility report, the project cost would shoot up to Rs 531 crore as against initial estimated outlay of Rs 131 crore due to manifold increase of compensation to be given to evacuees as per the Land Acquisition Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act-2013. The cost was calculated to be about Rs 1,000 crore as residents of three other villages wanted irrigation authorities to acquire their land.
“Since the cost of the reservoir shot up to Rs 1,000 crore, officials of the CECDO felt that the project might be cancelled. Instead, two canals would be built at two streams Yellammagadda vagu and Moyathummeda vagu, through which water can be supplied to several parts of Husnabad, as envisaged in the past,” said G. Anil Kumar, in-charge chief engineer of irrigation projects.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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