Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The new water project in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is lagging by around 80 days, sparking angry reactions from residents.While the March 2024 deadline set for the project earlier has already been extended till December next year, a further delay of nearly three months has now set alarm bells ringing. The delay in completion of the project would not only increase the water woes of residents but could result in cost escalation of the project having a financial outlay of Rs 2,740 crore. Officials of the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), the project implementing agency, said that they have been telling the private contractor to expedite the project. The contractor has assured us that steps would be taken to increase the pace of work. We have told him that reasons like shortage of labour or material would not be an excuse for slowing down the work, a senior MJP official said.Digambar Ausekar, a resident of Satara, said that it is unfortunate that the new water project is progressing at a sluggish pace despite adequate government funding.It is sheer lack of competency and professionalism on the contractors part due to which the water project is lagging behind despite getting an extended deadline. The government may either consider replacing the contractor or sub-contract the remaining work to other efficient players, he said.Rameshwar Pawar, another affected resident, said citizens have now pinned their hopes on the judiciary. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court is closely monitoring the progress of the project. We expect the judiciary to slam the private contractor and seek some effective remedy, he said.Notably, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has scheduled the hearing of petitions related to water woes of residents to Wednesday. The court-constituted committee is expected to submit its report on the progress of the project during the hearing, the authorities said.The local civic body in the past had appointed a private firm to draw water from the Jayakwadi dam and supply it to the city. The public-private partnership model of the project evoked criticism over the possible privatisation of the water supply, following which it was scrapped. The project had Rs359.7 crore financial outlay in 2005-06. Later, then CM Devendra Fadnavis approved the new water project with MJP as the implementation agency ahead of the 2019 polls. We also published the following articles recentlyPillur-III drinking water project to be commissioned in NovemberThe Coimbatore Corporation plans to commission the Pillur-III drinking water project in November, which will provide piped drinking water to households in the city once every two days. The project aims to draw 178 million litres per day (MLD) from the Pillur reservoir and meet the citys drinking water requirements by 2040. The city corporation is also working on implementing a 24x7 drinking water project in 60 wards.NMC plans water filtration project for Godavari riverThe Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) plans to build a water filtration plant near the Ahilyabai Holkar bridge to clean the polluted Godavari river. The plant, costing approximately Rs15 crore, will draw two million litres of water daily from the weir and release clean water into the river for eight months. Environmentalists advocate for the removal of concrete in order to revive natural springs and promote the flow of water into Ramkund. The divisional commissioner of Nashik has ordered the removal, but it has not been carried out yet.Cheetah reintroduction project set for success despite challenges: Project headIndias cheetah reintroduction project is expected to be a success due to the countrys strong track record in conserving big cats, according to SP Yadav, the project head. Yadav countered concerns raised by experts, stating that India has successfully saved and conserved other big cat species. The project, which aims to reintroduce cheetahs after their extinction in the country, has faced challenges, including some cheetah deaths. However, Yadav highlighted significant milestones achieved, including the survival of 14 imported cheetahs and the birth of one cub on Indian soil. Cooperation and capacity building with South Africa are also emphasized.

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