Varanasi: The Rs 2,161-crore mega sewer and drinking-water pipeline project in 22 wards of the city will be under the watch of CCTV cameras, with mayor Ashok Tiwari directing the executing agency to ensure transparency, quality and regular monitoring of the pace of work. The project, which involves laying 353.13 km of sewer lines and 651.64 km of drinking-water pipelines, is expected to free the city from sewer overflow and waterlogging problems for the next 70 years.The groundbreaking ceremonies for the project will be held in Sarainandan and Birdopur, Bhelupur and Durgakund, and Nariya and Jolha North on Sept 20, 21 and 22 respectively.Regarding the project, Tiwari said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already laid the foundation for the Rs 2,161-crore sewer relining and water supply line laying project during his April 28 visit. Work in some wards had already started by the executing agency, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (UPJN).The UPJN was asked to install CCTV cameras for surveillance of the entire project area to monitor the quality and pace of work. The project covers most of the old city areas close to the ghats along the Ganga, where water pipelines were laid along with sewer lines. Damage to and insufficient capacity of old sewer and water supply lines had led to problems including waterlogging and poor drinking-water supply.“Mainly, the damaged or low-capacity sewer and water pipelines will be replaced and upgraded with separate sewer, drainage and drinking-water pipelines,” Tiwari said.The decision to monitor the sewer and drinking-water pipeline work in 22 wards through CCTV cameras to ensure transparency, quality and timely execution was taken by the mayor after a joint meeting with officials of VMC and Varanasi Smart City Limited. The executing agency was asked to adopt a strict and accountable work system and warned that negligence would not be tolerated.Cameras would be installed at every active work site and linked directly with the Smart City control room, municipal headquarters and the mayor’s office, Tiwari said. The arrangement will allow real-time monitoring of progress and help prevent delays, poor workmanship and avoidable inconvenience to residents.UPJN was also instructed to submit complete details of mainline and branch-line works, daily targets and regular progress reports.Tiwari said residents may face temporary inconvenience during road cutting and pipeline laying, but the project will provide a durable solution for decades. UPJN was also asked to begin sewer and drinking-water pipeline work in Jangambari, Shivala, Nagwa and Bengali Tola, where bhoomi pujan has already been completed.The Rs 2,161-crore mega project includes laying 353.13 km of sewer lines and 651.64 km of drinking-water pipelines across the affected areas, municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said, adding that the work is expected to free the city from sewer overflow and waterlogging problems for the next 70 years.
