Delay Over, STP Work to Begin Soon.

Years of dillydallying are over and the concerns have been finally set aside. The much-touted construction of the sewage treatment plant (STP), part of the multi-crore sewerage project being implemented under the Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) near Sarovaram in the city, will commence soon.

Officials with the KSUDP say that an agreement was signed with UEM India Private Ltd last week, for constructing the 13.5 MLD STP and for maintaining it for a period of five years. The work was awarded to UEM India for Rs. 29.80 crore. It has been given 18 months’ time to complete the work.

'Based on the decision taken on February 27, an agreement was reached with UEM India on March 27. We now hope to commence the work at the earliest,' says K Somasekhara Kaimal, project manager, KSUDP Project Implementation Unit, Kozhikode.

He however expresses concern over the delay in getting the proposed site cleared for the construction works.

'The land is currently being used to store pipes and other materials for the implementation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted drinking water project. After expressing our concerns, the managing director of the Kerala Water Authority has already issued an ultimatum to the authorities concerned to clear the site and hand it over for STP construction, by April 20. We hope that the site will be cleared soon and we will be able to commence the work,' he adds.

Sources say that a total of six companies have taken part in the tendering process. However, only three firms have qualified to submit the financial bids, after the evaluation of their technical bids.

After assessing the financial bids of the three firms, the KSUDP Project Management Unit has observed that the prices of all the three bidders for the project components are consistent and it has subsequently recommended to award the work to UEM India based on the advise of the ADB, even though their quoted price for design services is 705.15 per cent above the engineers’ estimate and for operation and management services, it is 72.98 per cent above, which is found exorbitant. Sources add that the cost escalation is the result of the inordinate delay which hit the project implementation.

It was the second time tenders were being invited for the construction of the STP. Though bids had been invited earlier, the process had to be dropped midway owing to public ire against the construction of the STP at the then-proposed site near Karimbanapalam. The plan was changed at a later stage and subsequently an alternative land in the possession of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA), near Sarovaram, was identified for the STP.

The New Indian Express