Civic body seeks forensic audit of pipeline project

  • | Wednesday | 20th September, 2017

We have further demanded forensic audit of the water supply project and sought a set of documents. Besides laying pipeline, the firm was also asked to overtake water supply to Aurangabad for 20 years.The project has had tough time since its early days. ""The high court has already ruled in favour of the civic body and upheld the termination of ACUWCL, following which it has knocked the doors of the Supreme Court. "AMC authorities are misconstruing that arbitration would prevent them from appointing a new player, either government or private, for laying down parallel pipeline. The audit will help us substantiate our ground for termination of the firm on earlier citied grounds.

Aurangabad: The civic body, which has terminated agreement with Aurangabad City Water Utility Company Limited (ACUWCL) for laying down new parallel pipeline and water distribution, has raised the demand of forensic audit of the scheme undertaken by private firm in front of an arbitrator appointed by the court."We have already submitted our version before the arbitrator to which ACUWCL submitted counter reply on August 8. We have further demanded forensic audit of the water supply project and sought a set of documents. The audit will help us substantiate our ground for termination of the firm on earlier citied grounds. The company has shared some of the desired documents while other documents have still not been made available," sources from the local civic body said on Wednesday.Authorities said, "The ongoing legal dispute has been bearing over the fate of any policy decision associated with laying down of new parallel water supply scheme in Aurangabad.""The high court has already ruled in favour of the civic body and upheld the termination of ACUWCL, following which it has knocked the doors of the Supreme Court. As per the order of high court and clauses of the concession agreement, an arbitrator has been appointed for resolving the dispute. Completely parting ways with the ACUWCL could only pave way for new firm to be appointed for desired work and therefore the termination of agreement with ACUWCL has to remain valid in the court of law as well," AMC authorities said.Stating that no immediate solution seems to be in sight in the ongoing legal battle with the ousted firm, authorities said new water pipeline scheme could still be a distant project to conceptualise afresh.Civic activist Vijay Diwan, who had filed petition in high court against alleged privatisation of city's water supply, however, said ongoing legal dispute has nothing to deal with laying down of parallel pipeline by exploring fresh options."AMC authorities are misconstruing that arbitration would prevent them from appointing a new player, either government or private, for laying down parallel pipeline. The civic body can settle its dispute before arbitration in financial matters and other things in due course of time, but should also start the process of searching a new player," he said.The civic administration in June last year had sealed the fate of controversial Rs 792 crore water pipeline and water distribution project. In a proposal submitted to the general body, the civic administration had termed the project as "economically unviable" and accused it of being riddled with many discrepancies in deviation of concession agreement.AMC had appointed ACWUCL to draw water from Jayakwadi dam and supply it to the city. Besides laying pipeline, the firm was also asked to overtake water supply to Aurangabad for 20 years.The project has had tough time since its early days. After its initial launch in 2013, the firm withdrew the services in about a week and was relaunched in September 2014. The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model of Rs 792 crore water supply was dubbed by a section of political leaders, activists and experts as privatisation of public water scheme for financial gains, forcing the local civic body to ensure its ouster that was challenged legally.

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