MARGAO
Thirty-four years after the foundation stone for Margao's ambitious sewerage project was laid around 1984, households in densely populated southern parts of the Commercial capital will be finally connected to the underground sewerage line.
The total cost of the sewerage project, including the setting up of the 20 MLD sewerage treatment plant at Sirvodem is pegged at Rs 247 crore, when the original cost was estimated around Rs 3-4 crore.
Come Thursday and the households and housing societies, right from Malbhat to Aquem and other parts of the city can hope to get their overflowing septic tanks to the underground line. Around 2000 sewerage connections will be issued in the first phase at a rate worked out by the PWD for individual houses, group houses, including multiple housing units, shops with and without toilets.
Addressing the media, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat said the PWD is ready to release around 2000 sever connections in the city in and around the Hari Mandir area, Pajifond, Malbhat, Near Sai Baba Temple, Vishant road areas, near Costa ground, power house, Forest department, Aquem, Rajagiri hospital and near the railway station road. "We had a meeting with senior officials including Managing Director of Sewerage Corporation Arvind Patil, wherein it has been decided to start the process for the release of sewerage connections to the households. The sewerage Corporation has laid a sewerage line under the trenchless technology in these areas, covering around 40 kms, of which 39.50 km has already been completed, including construction of manholes. The balance work pertaining to construction of a 60 manholes at a stretch of 500 metres remains to be completed at Aquem," he said, while briefing the media in the presence of councillors, Doris Texeira, Avinash Shirodkar, Damu Naik, former councillor Damu Shirodkar and others.
To a question on the rates worked out by the PWD for release of the sewerage connection, Kamat said the PWD has fixed certain rates, which are economical and affordable. While an individual household can obtain a connection for Rs 5,000, various rates have been fixed for flats and shops with and without toilets. "I feel that these rates are economical and affordable too as private contractors charge huge amount for connecting the households to the underground line," he added.
The applications for the house sewerage connections are available at the office
of the Assistant Engineer, WD XXI (PHE), PWD, Vidhyanagar.
Meanwhile, to another question, Kamat said that problems faces by Comba area of the city will be overcome after the government replaces the dilapidated Northern main line from Arlem to the sewerage plant at Sirvodem.
