Underground drains to be ready in Nizamabad by May

NIZAMABAD: Decade-long underground drainage (UGD) works are now going to be completed in the Nizamabad municipal corporation limits by May, say authorities.

The delay in the release of funds adversely affected the works in the town. Road-cutting for UGD works doubled the problems for citizens for the last few years. Finally, the state government has sanctioned '145.5 crore to complete the works at the earliest.

To modernise the drainage system in Nizamabad, underground works were begun in 2008. The then  Nizamabad MLA D. Srinivas had initiated UGD works, but his successive defeats in 2009, 2010 elections neglected the works.
L&T company began the works but cancelled its agreement due to various reasons.

 Incomplete works for a decade, adversely affected the people. In view of this, the UGD project cost escalated from Rs 94.44 crore to Rs 231 crore.

Nizamabad MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha, urban MLA Bigala Ganesh Gupta initiated steps to resume works in 2016 with revised estimates.

Engineer-turned-MLA Ganesh Gupta introduced Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) technology instead of Waste Stabilisation Ponds (WSP) in the works.
As a result, the land acquired for UGD is being utilised for the new collectorate complex and double bedroom houses in the town.

Reportedly, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao convinced them to change the technology of UGD and along with it, revised budget estimations. Meanwhile, Ayyappa Infra got revised tenders for UGD and had completed around 70 per cent of the  works. Mechanical works will be completed to commission the project by May.