The much-awaited sewage treatment plant (STP) projects of the Kozhikode Corporation at Kothi and Avikkalthodu have got going, with the corporation council giving its nod to the two agencies shortlisted for preparing the CRZ status report as well as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
The two projects which are part of the decentralised sewerage system under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) scheme need clearance from the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) before commencement of work. Hence, proposals were invited from agencies accredited by the Ministry of Environment and Forest to prepare the CRZ status report. The corporation council approved the quotation from the Institute of Remote Sensing of Anna University, Chennai. It has quoted a minimum amount of ₹3.54 lakh for the plants.
Similarly, proposals were invited from agencies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training to prepare the EIA report, which also needs to be submitted for KCZMA clearance. Ultra Tech Environmental Consultancy that quoted ₹2.5 lakh, besides GST, was approved by the Amrut core committee as well as the council recently.
Earlier, tenders for the two plants, one of 7 MLD and the other of 6 MLD, were won by Seemak Hi-tech Productions from Maharashtra for ₹20.50 crore and ₹17.11 crore respectively. Similarly, Ahmedabad-based Nasith Infrastructure won the tender for the collection network (drains through which sewage will be taken to the plants) for the plants at ₹51.86 crore and ₹52.97 crore respectively. The total expense for construction and collection network comes to ₹142.44 crore. The plants are expected to benefit around 90,000 people.
