PM to lay foundation of 4 STPs in Patna on Oct 14 : Gadkari

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on October 11, 2017, said that Nirmal Ganga is the biggest priority of his Ministry and all efforts will be made to ensure that the Namami Gange Programme shows good progress by the end of next year.

Gadkari was speaking on the occasion of signing of a tripartite agreement  between National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the state level executing agencies Uttarakhand Pey Jal Nigam and Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, with concessionaires for setting up of India’s first  Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) under Hybrid Annuity mode at Haridwar and Varanasi on October 11, according to a PIB release.

The Minister said that about 3,000 MLD sewage from 97 cities on its banks are the biggest source of pollution for Ganga. Of this, 1,750 MLD sewage comes from just 10 cities. He said 34 projects worth Rs 3,581 crore had been sanctioned for Ganga cleaning between 2008-2014, while 56 projects worth Rs 9,630 crore have been approved since 2014 till date. Mentioning that 18 of these projects are ready, Gadkari said the other projects will also be complete by March 2019, according to the PIB releaseon .

Regarding the agreement for Hybrid Annuity mode (HAM) based STPs for Haridwar and Varanasi, Gadkari said the agreement is a major step forward in realizing the dream of Nirmal Ganga as it is the first time ever in India that Hybrid Annuity-based PPP mode is being applied in sewerage sector.

The 50 MLD STP in Varanasi was awarded to a consortium led by Essel Infra Projects Limited at an estimated cost of Rs 153.16 crore. In Haridwar, HNB Engineers Private Ltd. won the contract for a total sewage treatment capacity of 82 MLD (68MLD at Jagjeetpur & 14MLD in Sarai) at an estimated cost of Rs 171.53 crore. The awarded projects would ensure that untreated sewage does not flow into river Ganga.

A second set of sewage treatment projects under HAM are on the anvil. The projects already sanctioned under HAM are STPs at Naini, Jhusi, and Phaphamau at Allahabad (72 MLD), STPs at Unnao, Shuklaganj, and Bithoor along with Kanpur (21.4 MLD), STPs at Digha and Kankarbagh in Bihar (150 MLD), STPs at Kolkata and Howrah (141 MLD) STPs at Farukhabad (30 MLD), STP at Bhagalpur (65 MLD). NMCG has also appointed strategic consultants for PPP design and transaction advisory support for integration of sewage treatment infrastructure in Kanpur, Allahabad, Patna and Kolkata.

Gadkari informed that PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for setting up four STPs of 140 MLD in Patna on October 14, 2017. The total cost of these projects would be Rs 738.14 crore.

The Minister also launched an interactive website on National Mission for clean Ganga (NMCG) to enable the corporates to undertake CSR activities for Ganga Rejuvenation. This webpage, which will be available on NMCG website at www.nmcg.nic.in, gives the details of projects and activities which can be taken up under CSR funds.