Title - Jakkampudi pipeline: Railways settles for Rs. 2.50-crore fee

Finally, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation is all set to lay a pipeline for carrying sewer under railway tracks at Jakkampudi near here.The Railways has given its consent with no riders. Now, the corporation will execute the works on its own. The VMC will pay only Rs. 2.5 crore to the Railways as permission fee. The corporation will finalise the tenders in a week. The works would be completed in two months after finalisation of the tenders.Corporation officials have succeeded in convincing the railway officials to bring down the fee for permission. The Railways, about eight months ago, told the VMC that it would take up the execution and pegged the fee at Rs. 6.5 crore. It sent the VMC officials into a tizzy as the cost of construction and the fee would take the total expenditure to more than Rs. 12 crore.The corporation has asked the Railways to have a re-look, as it has constructed the houses for the poor. The railway officials have then said that the fee cannot be negotiated as it is calculated based on laid down procedure and approved by the Railway Board.

Construction of STPs

With the Railways according permission, the corporation will be able to complete the two Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs). The corporation is constructing the two STPs with a capacity of 20 MLD each. While one is nearing completion, only 15 per cent of work has been completed on second STP. The corporation has planned to treat the sewerage generated in the One Town at one of the STPs. The sewer and sullage being let out into the canals would come down significantly if the STPs are completed, VMC officials say.

The VMC has constructed 8,800 houses under the JNNURM to rehabilitate people living in vulnerable places such as road margins, canal bunds, and riverbed. The sewer generated from the Jakkampudi housing complex has no other outlet unless the STP is constructed. The sewer would have to be let into the Budameru without treating it.