SHILLONG, April 11: The state government will take up with the Ministry of Defence the Shillong-based defence authorities’ refusal to grant permission to the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department to lay the main feeder pipes of the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) Phase III.
“We will be meeting the Secretary, Ministry of Defence on April 13 and raise the issue of defence authorities’ refusal to give permission to the PHE Department to lay the pipes,” a senior official of the department said on Sunday.
According to him, the department has been requesting the defence authorities since 2018 to give permission to lay the pipes in certain cantonment areas, including Khlieh Iewduh. He said all efforts are being made by the department to get the permission from the defence authorities.
“We are hopeful that some positive outcome would emerge after the April 13 meeting,” the official said.
The PHE Department had revised its target to complete the much-delayed GSWSS Phase III by December 2021.
The PHE official said the reasons behind the delay in the completion of the project were the paucity of funds and the delay in the release of installments. The stoppage of work by the Power Works Department (PWD) also contributed to the delay.
Speaking on departmental problems, the official said there was some delay initially in inviting tender for the project as the original estimated cost of Rs 193.49 crore was revised to Rs 259.06 crore. Also, the work in the distribution network, covering seven urban centres and divided into 12 zones, could be taken up only after March 2012.
“From 2014-2015 onwards, work on laying the distribution network, except in Nongmensong and Pynthorumkhrah zones, could not be continued due to objection from the PWD. It issued a no-objection certificate for taking up the remaining portion of the work in the 10 zones on December 9, 2019,” the official added.
The GSWSS Phase III was initiated in 2008.
Earlier during the Budget Session of the Assembly, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said the state government is keen on completing the GSWSS phase III and it is looking at all sources for funding, including the option of availing loan under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.
