Rs 621-crore water project for Kochi remains non-starter

Kochi: Even as the period of the Kochi Smartcity Mission Limited is set to expire in March 2020, the major project under the mission, the 24×7 drinking water supply scheme worth Rs.621 crore, remains a non-starter.

Worse, the Kerala Water Authority, the implementing agency, has failed to prepare even the detailed project report.

The two major pan-city projects under the Rs 2,075-crore Smart City programme are uninterrupted drinking water supply (Rs 621 crore) and replacing archaic pipelines (Rs 130 crore). But over the past three-and-a-half years, the authorities could not do much to realise them.

Meanwhile, the Smart City Mission’s drinking water project has converged with the centre-funded AMRUT under which schemes worth Rs 114 crore are being carried out in the city to augment water supply. “When it is completed, the city residents will get improved  water supply,” said a top corporation official.

There are widespread complaints against the failure of the mission authorities in taking up the projects on time. “Though Kochi was the first among the 20 cities selected for the Mission in 2015, it failed to utilise the advantage and not even a single project could be completed,” said a former corporation councillor.

The delay in constituting the SPV and appointment of project management consultant has slowed down the projects.