SHILLONG, July 9: The state government has enhanced the estimate for the much-delayed Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) Phase-III three times.
After significant delays, the Hima Mawphlang recently handed over a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the PHE Department for the construction work related to this project.
PHE Minister Marcuise Marak stated that with the enhancement of the estimates, contractors are now willing to work on the project.
He expressed hope that the water issues in Shillong will be resolved once Phase III is commissioned.
He, however, noted that the project will take some time to complete, as various components, including the construction of a pumping station, need to be finished.
“We will try to complete the work by next monsoon,” he said.
It may be mentioned that the project was approved by the Centre in October 2008 at a cost of Rs 193.5 crore, with a target completion date of May 2011.
The objective of the project is to create infrastructure for supplying an additional 24 million litres of water to the projected population of Shillong Urban Agglomeration from 2011 to 2041.
The project has already missed multiple deadlines.
