5 years on, Gujrat sewerage project remains incomplete

Estimated cost continues rising with delay in work due to funding snags

GUJRAT:

The Jail Chowk sewerage project in the city has not been completed almost five years after its launching, while the cost of the work has more than doubled from the initial estimate of Rs250 million.

The sewerage project was approved in June 2017 to solve the longstanding problem of sewage in and around the city. Funds of Rs250 million were released for the construction and the project was scheduled to be completed within a year.

In order to allow drainage of water into Bhimber stream, a 5.5km pipeline had to be laid and motors of up to 150 horse power were to be installed.

However, district administration officials, a former mayor and public health department turned the sewage disposal project into a rainwater pumping station and diverted the drainage towards Bole Nala in the opposite direction from Bhimber Nala.

As a result of the change in plan, the length of the required pipeline laying decreased from 5.5km to 2.75km, but its estimated cost was increased by Rs120 million to Rs370 million.

However, the project could not be completed within the stipulated time.

Residents of five union councils including the areas of Jail Chowk, Kachehri Chowk, Gharibpura, Badhewala Khooh, Prince Chowk, Shah Hussain Chowk and Fawara Chowk, as well as commuters passing the road are suffering due to the delayed project and poor arrangements to save them from hardship.

A local resident said standing water on two or three adjoining roads after rain had become the norm.

The area is in the ancestral constituency of Chaudhry family despite the successive governments in the province of Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Official residences of the district administration and municipal corporation officials, including the deputy commissioner and DPO, as well as important offices are also located there.

Provincial Jamaat-e-Islami leader Dr Tariq Saleem said the project showed how much the government officials and politicians were interested in the problems of the city and its people. He said the local people would hold those responsible for their plight accountable in the next elections.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Mian Fakhar Paganwala said while speaking to The Express Tribune that the project had destroyed valuable property of a number of citizens. Funds were wasted by digging the road for the sewerage project.

According to sources, Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Monis Elahi, elected from the same National Assembly constituency and Provincial Parliamentary Secretary Saleem Sarwar Jora have approved more funds for the project, including replacement of installed pumping motors and heavy motors for draining water.

One new motor has been activated.

Due to the prolonged work, citizens remain stuck in traffic amid the construction material scattered around the road.

During last six years, five deputy commissioners of Gujrat were replaced.

The current DC, Dr Khurram Shehzad, who also held the post from 2018 to 2020, was reappointed five months back.

The district administration says the project will be completed by June. A public health department official said 70 per cent of the work on the project had been completed, but the progress was stalled due to lack of funds.

He said the completion of the project would depend on the fund release.

A city trader said the residents would benefit if the project was completed before the season of rains.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2022.