3 firms file technical bids

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 15

The 24X7 water supply project for Mani Majra may now move ahead as three agencies have expressed interest in it.

This could be a result of relaxations in the financial conditions approved for the project during a meeting of board of directors of Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL). Earlier, the authorities had failed to find any takers for the Rs160-crore project despite floating tenders several times.

In July, the CSCL even decided to offer the project via joint venture, but that too didn't cut an ice with bidders. In the technical bids opened today, SPML Infra Limited, Vishvaraj Environment Pvt Ltd and SB Enterprises filed their papers.

"We will evaluate the technical bids. The whole process will take a month. Following which financial bids will be opened and the firm bidding the lowest amount will be allotted the project," said NP Sharma, General Manager, CSCL. Once the work is allotted, the successful bidder would be given a deadline of one-and-a-half years to complete the job, he said.

According to smart city officials, there are two components — capital and installation of water meters — under the project. A total of 13,700 water connections have been planned to be covered in Mani Majra under the project. Main focus is to reduce water leakage from the existing 50 per cent to 15 per cent.

According to the plan, pipelines will be laid in the outer parts as well as inside the houses to keep water contamination at bay. Earlier, the Municipal Corporation used to lay down pipelines outside the houses. People used to misuse it by connecting more pipelines to it on their own. This caused the water to contaminate.

After the pilot project, the CSCL would start the work on providing 24X7 water supply to the entire city.

The CSCL will be borrowing Rs440 crore on interest at the rate of two per cent from a French firm. It will pay Rs60 crore available with it, while the remaining Rs380 crore will be paid through consumers by increasing the water bills effective from 2027. The agenda regarding the increase in water rates for this purpose is already approved by the MC General House.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/3oSjDdh