Bengaluru: Manna for BWSSB, to get Rs 1,000 crore grants

Bengaluru: In a big bumper to the BWSSB and a huge loss to the BBMP, the water board will receive Rs 1,000 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transmission (AMRUT) scheme to take up various infrastructure projects.

Highly-placed sources in the Board said that among 27 cities that are chosen for the central government funding, the BBMP was scheduled to get a lion’s share of Rs 1,000 crore.

However, since the central government has specified parameters to utilise the funds, the BBMP has no choice but to handover the funds to the BWSSB.

“According to the parameters, the state government must use the funds for water, sanitation, storm water drains, road infrastructure and provision of public and green spaces in the same order. For the Centre to allot funds for road infrastructure or public spaces, the state government must first fully utilise the funds allotted for water, sanitation and drains. These parameters are in numerical order and the approval of funds will happen systematically. Since the BBMP does not provide water and sanitation services, the government had no choice but to divert the funds for BWSSB’s projects,” the source said.

Under the AMRUT scheme, the state will get Rs 5,400 crore over a span of five years. Some of the other cities to get funds under the scheme are Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Vijayapura, Ballari, Kalaburagi, among others. BBMP Commissioner G.Kumar Naik has been appointed as the nodal officer to monitor the implementation of the project.

BWSSB proposes 11 projects under AMRUT

The BWSSB has proposed to take up drainage repair works under Environment Action Plan-C at a cost of Rs 500 crore, construction of a pump house at Koramangala Sports Complex at a cost of Rs 120 crore, and sewage treatment plant at Agara (35 MLD capacity) at a cost of Rs 105 crore.

Other projects to be taken up are trunk sewer in Vrushabhavati Valley at a cost of Rs 58 crore, water pipeline from GKVK reservoir to HBR reservoir at Rs 56.

1 crore, sewerage network in RR Nagar and Kengeri at Rs 55 crore and STP in Hulimavu (40 MLD capacity) at Rs 30 crore.

The Board has also proposed to construct STPs in K.R Puram, Sarakki, Begur at Rs 66 crore and water supply to slums in core Bengaluru at Rs 16.3 crore. The overall cost of the 11 projects, which have been approved, is estimated at Rs 1,003 crore.