Spain, Japan & Dutch cos eye Gargai dam consultancy work

Mumbai: After issuing the letter of acceptance (LoA) for construction of the Gargai dam, BMC has initiated the process of appointing a consultant to oversee key aspects such as rehabilitation of affected villagers, tree transplantation, and provision of safety and design expertise.During a recent pre-bid meeting, firms from Spain, Japan and the Netherlands expressed interest. Officials said the consultancy component is critical to the project's execution. The work is estimated to cost Rs 25 crore. "There has been interest from firms like Japan's Nippon Koei as well as India-based firms. The consultancy will, however, not have the final say as far as project design is concerned. Once finalised, the project design will be vetted by Central Design Organisation in Nashik, which functions under the Maharashtra govt," said a civic official. The project, which is to come up in Ogada village in Wada taluka of Palghar district, includes the transplantation of around 3 lakh trees and compensatory afforestation across 658 hectares in Washim, Chandrapur and Hingoli districts. Additionally, villagers are proposed to be relocated to Devali in Wada taluka. The work order is expected to be issued later this week, with a completion timeline of four years. "Generally, a 30-day time period is given once an LoA is issued for completing mandatory compliances, which includes providing for bank guarantee, labour licences and power of attorney. However, we are expecting these compliances to be completed in the coming week and the work order to be issued," said the official, adding that after the work order is issued, the first year will go into securing permissions and creating infrastructure for relocating six affected villages. Dam construction is planned in the second year, followed by installation of electrical systems in the third year. Parallel efforts are underway to secure forest and wildlife clearances, officials said. Opposition parties, however, have targeted the administration, saying it was very early to have sanctioned the project when crucial permissions were still awaited. Congress leader in BMC Ashraf Azmi said, "BMC should have obtained all clearances and then begun works on construction of the dam."Once commissioned, the Gargai dam will add 440 million litres per day to Mumbai's water supply, making it the city's newest reservoir since Middle Vaitarna became operational in 2014.