Pimpri-Chinchwad: According to the latest updates on the Bhama Askhed pipeline work, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has predicted that the daily water supply in Pimpri-Chinchwad will take another year to resume.
Officials of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have maintained that changing the contractor for the remaining 30% of the Bhama Askhed pipeline work would cause further delays and have insisted on continuing with the existing contractor. The Municipal Water Supply Department has published fresh tenders.
Two separate tenders worth Rs 84 crore have been issued. The deadline for this work is ten months, and as a result, there will be a year-long wait for the 167 million litres (MLD) of water, officials said on Wednesday.
According to PCMC officials, from the Bhama Askhed dam in Khed tehsil, 167 million litres (MLD) of water are to be brought to the water treatment plant in Chikhali through a closed pipeline. Despite four extensions and multiple notices, the concerned contractor failed to complete the work. This project was expected to be completed by November 2024. However, even after the extensions expired, 30% of the work remains unfinished.
Therefore, PCMC’s Water Supply Department requested the commissioner to dismiss the concerned contractor and issue new tenders. Accordingly, after hearing the positions of both the water supply department and the contractor, the then commissioner, Shravan Hardikar, dismissed the contractor. Following that, the Water Supply Department initiated the process of issuing short-term tenders for the remaining 30% of the work.
Joint City Engineer Ajay Suryawanshi of the PCMC’s Water Supply Department said, “Two separate tenders have been published for the remaining 30% of the Bhama Askhed pipeline work.” The contractor will be given a ten-month period for the work. The focus will be on completing the work within the deadline. Alternate-day water supply will continue until the Bhama Askhed water becomes available.”
BJP Pushes For Resuming The Old Contractor
Ruling party officials tried to have the work done by the old contractor, claiming that issuing new tenders would cause further delays. A meeting was held between the Commissioner, officials, and the concerned contractor regarding this matter. However, the Water Supply Department has now published the new tenders. There is a tender worth Rs 33.35 crore for the remaining work of laying the 1700 mm diameter underground pipeline from Bhama Askhed Dam to the Break Pressure Tank at Navlakh Umbre.
Another tender worth Rs 50.69 crore is for completing the remaining work of the 1400 mm pipeline from the break pressure tank to Talwade and Dehu. The total cost of these tenders is 84 crore 4 lakh rupees. The duration for this work is ten months. Therefore, it will take at least a year of waiting before the 167 MLD of water becomes available.
Alternate Day Water Supply for Another Year
Citing the need for equitable water distribution, the PCMC administration started supplying water on alternate days from 25th November 2019. It has been six and a half years since this decision, but the daily water supply has not resumed. The administration remains firm that a daily water supply is impossible until water is available from the Bhama Askhed dam. Since it will take another year for this additional water to arrive, city residents will have to face an alternate-day water supply for one more year.
Daily Water Supply to the City
– Pavana Dam – 550 Million Litres
– Andra Dam – 80 Million Litres
– MIDC – 20 Million Litres
– Total: 650 Million Litres
