Around 14 to 15 kilometers of road has been constructed over the water pipelines of the ambitious water supply scheme for the city, stretching from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Paithan. After this issue came to light, a committee led by Divisional Commissioner Dilip Gawade was established as per the directives of the High Court to inspect the entire water pipeline site on Saturday.
During the inspection, several mistakes committed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) were identified. The committee addressed all the mistakes and sought alternatives to rectify the faults. The committee members conducted the inspection for around seven hours.
Divisional Commissioner Gawade, Municipal Corporation Administrator G. Srikanth, MJP Superintending Engineer Manish Palande, NHAI Project Director Ravindra Ingole, CSMC Special Project Officer M. B. Kazi, Executive Engineer K. M. Falak, Deepak Koli, Kiran Patil, VGPR Company officers, and others were present during the inspection.
The committee also inspected the work of the large Jetwell being constructed in the dam. Around 20 kilometers of road has been constructed above the pipelines, with 12 kilometers of the road concretized. Approximately 40 air valves have been installed incorrectly. Experts have opined that the valves have been installed in the wrong manner.
Divisional Commissioner Gawade emphasized the importance of completing the water supply scheme work. Rather than focusing on the mistakes, efforts will be made to find alternatives, he said. "The residents should be relieved by bringing water to the city as soon as possible. Along with the water, better roads are also needed," he added.
G. Srikanth mentioned that the air valves have been wrongly fitted in a slanting manner, and the pipelines are located under the road. He stated that alternatives are being explored to figure out how the water pipelines can be shifted.
