Chandigarh: No bidder for 24x7 water supply project

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) has not received a single bid for its much-vaunted Rs 160 crore 24x7 water supply project in Manimajra, forcing it to call a meeting of a technical committee.
Experts comprising chief general manager of the CSCL, chief engineers of the UT administration, municipal corporation and Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) and other officers will chalk out a strategy for the success of the tender in the meeting scheduled next week.
“Companies had suggested a need to change some of the criterion of the tender in a pre-bid consultation. A clause for joint venture was also recommended. But members of the technical committee did not consider the views. Now, the meeting will decide whether to change some rules or not,” sources said.
The project has two components — capital and installation of water meters. As many as 13,700 water connections in Manimajra will be covered under the project, according to records of the CSCL. Reducing water leakage from 50% to 15% is a major priority area under the project.
The tender document gives successful contractor one-and-a-half years to complete the project under which pipelines will be laid in outer areas and in houses of residents to prevent water contamination. “Earlier, the MC was laying down pipelines till the outer area of houses only. People used to fix pipes in their houses and connect them with the line. This heightened the chances of contamination, which this project will eliminate,” sources said.