Rs 342-crore Patiala water project misses another deadline

The ambitious Rs 342-crore surface water project to meet drinking needs of around five lakh Patiala residents is unlikely to start at least till the end of the year, once again skipping the deadline.

According to officials, the government had pushed the deadline to start the first phase of the project to July this year after the water supply from it failed to take off in October 2023, the initial cut-off date to complete the project.

The work on the project, launched to improve the city’s drinking water needs by reducing the reliance on groundwater and transitioning to canal-based supply, was initiated in October 2020.

Under it, a network of 312-km pipelines is to be laid. Till now, only 212-km of pipelines have been laid by the contractor — Larsen and Toubro.

The project also includes the construction of 21 underground reservoirs and 12 overhead tanks, which will be supplied water from the Patiala navigation channel, a section of the Sirhind Canal.

Health Minister and Patiala Rural legislator Balbir Singh acknowledged the mounting public frustration over the delay and said a penalty of Rs 9.5 crore had already been imposed on the contractor.

The company officials did not respond to repeated attempts for a comment.

Meanwhile, the inordinate delay in the starting of the project has turned into daily misery for commuters.

Almost all major intersections — from Polo Ground and Fountain Chowk to Sheran Wala Gate and Bhupindra Road — have been dug up for the project. “The civic authorities now and then fix a few tiles in the name of road repair but this is always undone by rain. Re-carpeting is not feasible during monsoon and once the rain stops, the dust from these patches will make life miserable,” said a commuter.

CBI probe sought

BJP councillor from Ward No. 41 Anuj Khosla recently approached Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking a probe by a central agency into the delay and likely cost escalations.

Municipal Commissioner Paramvir Singh attributed the delay to multiple factors, including a shortage of labour in May due to the India-Pakistan conflict following the Operation Sindoor.

“Technical challenges also require extra caution to avoid damage to telecom and water lines,” he said. “Early monsoon hampered the progress, but we are making sincere efforts. Of the total project cost, Rs 16.33 crore was initially earmarked for road restoration, which was later revised. Now, the MC is tasked with road repairs at a cost of Rs 20 crore. Tenders have been floated and over Rs 1 crore has been saved,” said Mayor Kundan Gogia.

Punjab