DPR for sewage treatment plants

Patna: Lack of adequate number of sewage treatment plants in the state capital was posing environmental threat to the Ganga, admitted urban development and housing minister

Maheshwar Hazari

in the legislative council on Wednesday while replying to a question of KK Singh of the BJP.

The state minister said a detailed project report is being prepared for the construction of sewage treatment plant in several localities, including Serpentine Road, Boring Canal Road, Shivpuri, Kurji, Mandiri, SK Puri and Patel Nagar. He also said tenders had been invited for the treatment of water of big drains of Karmalichak, Beur and Saidpur. The projects have been funded by the World Bank.

The minister admitted that dirty drain water flows into the Ganga. However, the minister alleged that the Centre did not release funds to the state government under its project to clean and save Ganga.

Replying to another question of Dilip K Chaudhary of the Congress, the minister said the government was committed to the installation of water towers in all the 72 wards of Patna Municipal Corporation. Earlier, he said, the project was handed over to the Gammon India but it did not complete it. The government had seized its security amount of Rs17 crore and the total project cost was Rs500 crore, he said. "The re-tendering process has been initiated," he added. The minister, while replying to another question, said an intensive anti-encroachment drive would be started from April in various localities of the state capital.