Choked sewer lines

LUCKNOW: After years of complaints of residents about broken and choked sewer lines, the operation and maintenance (O&M) sewer lines in the city will soon be handled by a private company.

Broken and choked sewer lines often lead to waterlogging and sewage woes in various parts of the city. The new company will be responsible to handle sewerage system of the entire city. But it is likely to charge more annual sewage charges for better services.

The sewerage charges which used to be nominal so far might see a steep hike from next year, said civic officials. The new company, apart from handling daily of choked sewer lines, repair of broken pipes, covering manholes etc., will also be responsible to replace the old and defunct sewage pumps installed along the drains in the city to pump out the sewage. The company will have to ensure proper functioning of the sewage pumping station and ensure that they do not discharge any sewage into the Gomti.

The decision to transfer maintenance of sewer lines by Jal Santhan to private firm has been taken by the state government.

The government has now made the Uttar Pradesh River Conservation Authority (SGRCA) as the nodal agency to execute the project. The SGRCA, formed in 2009 to check pollution and conserve the river Ganga in UP, will float bid-document and invite proposals from private companies to run O&M of sewerage system in UP. A senior official in UP Jal Nigam said, “This is the first time that a government has decided to give the O&M to a private company to improve efficiency of sewerage system in UP. This is on the lines of many big cities where private companies are hired to improve the sewerage system.”

In the first phase, Lucknow has been chosen. An official said, “For Lucknow, the tender has already been floated and soon a company would come on board. In other cities too, UP Jal Nigam has been ordered to prepare DPRs of sewerage system so that bid-documents can be prepared accordingly. Those cities will also see hiring of a private company soon.” Officials said that hiring of the private company in Lucknow may take 3-4 months as a result of which operation and maintenance will begin only next year.

