VMC council rejects Rs 600 crore stormwater drain project

Vijayawada: The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) council's unequivocal rejection of the proposed Rs 600 crore stormwater drain strengthening under the PPP model cast a fresh shadow on the unfinished stormwater drain project and the overall stormwater drain strengthening works across the city."The VMC listed the storm water drains project and the PPP model in the annual civic budget after it was suggested by the public health and municipal engineering (PH&ME) department's engineer-in-chief. However, the VMC council has now rejected the proposal, and this was communicated to the ENC office. The VMC is awaiting further correspondence from the concerned office," a VMC official said.The civic body official elaborated that the project was envisaged to develop a comprehensive stormwater drain network and prevent water stagnation and frequent flooding during the monsoon season in the city."Under the proposed storm water drain works, the civic body planned to execute the unfinished Rs 468 crore worth of storm water drains executed by the L&T firm in the previous TDP govt, as well as to cover more major drains across the city," the official added."Construction of stormwater drains is the duty of the respective local body, and the civic body's move to hand over the works to private players is a wrong move," Taxpayers' Association Vijayawada president MV Anjaneyulu opined. He also found fault with the city's stormwater drainage designs, stating that the drain canal works undertaken in the city added to the existing woes rather than offering a solution."There is a need for the civic body to alter the stormwater designs to ensure that Vijayawada does not face flooding during the monsoon season in the near future. Without changing the designs, hundreds of crores would go in vain without giving any respite to the city," Anjaneyulu said.