The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Delay in Godavari Project hits VSP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Delay in Godavari Project hits VSP

By Santosh Patnaik

VISAKHAPATNAM: Delay in commercial operation of the Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Project has hit hard the Steel Plant (VSP).

Row over role of Larsen and Toubro in maintaining the project has delayed its commissioning by the Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Company (VIWSCo) -- a `special purpose company' set up by the promoters through a concession agreement signed with the Government for project implementation for 32 years.

As per original schedule, VISWCo was supposed to supply water to both industrial and domestic consumers by June 2004. Later, the deadline was extended to November/December. "Once VSP and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) sign the bulk water supply agreement, we will be ready to supply water,'' declares the VIWSCo director, Anand Chiplunkar.

The Rs. 650-crore two-phase project aims at abstracting water from the Godavari by pumping it through a 56-km. steel pipeline into the existing 153-km. Yeleru canal for further conveyance. A quantity of 5 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) will be pumped from the river and another 5 tmcft drawn from the Yeleru reservoir. VIWSCo will supply 520 million litres daily of which 150 million litres daily will be earmarked for domestic supply.

L&T role

The Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has already adopted a resolution asking the Government to hand over the responsibility of maintenance of the project to it. A sub-committee of the State Cabinet is already seized of the matter to recommend changes, if any, required to make the project more people-friendly.

In an unprecedented move, VSP issued a media release last week, saying that the Godavari pumping scheme is ready in all respects.

According to VSP officials, due to critical position faced by the plant in both Yeleru reservoir and Kanithi Balancing Reservoir (KBR), pumping of water from the Godavari is required immediately.

Heavy transmission loss in Yeleru canal during the last six and half months had hit the supplies to VSP. The storage level in KBR is stated to be coming down slowly.

Stoppage of supply from the Yeleru reservoir from mid-December and delay in commissioning of VIWSP, are bound to paralyse production unless steps are taken to pump water from the Godavari to pull VSP from the present crisis.

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