The Hindu : New Delhi News : DJB to map its property, water network

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

DJB to map its property, water network

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN. 24. Over six years have passed since the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) was set up after disbanding the Delhi Water Supply and Sewage Disposal Undertaking, yet it still has no clue to the whereabouts of its properties and has also lost track of its network of water and sewage pipelines. This when the Board has a full-fledged Land and Estate Department.

But now the DJB will undertake the exercise of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of its property and its pipeline network by engaging global consultancy firm -- PricewaterhouseCoopers -- which is charging over Rs.25 crores for the entire exercise. The DJB Chief Executive Officer, Rakesh Mohan, today categorically stated that the entire exercise was aimed at knowing the exact position of its properties so that the Board could improve its efficiency. There were no plans to privatise DJB, he added.

However, sources in the DJB said the mapping process was directly linked with the proposed privatisation process and the evaluation of DJB's properties by an international agency clearly indicated in this direction. "All the records of DJB properties and pipeline network has already been computerised and all data is available with the Board. This new mapping exercise was to quote a market value of the DJB."

The entire mapping is being done in two phases -- mapping of water and sewerage pipelines for which the PricewaterhouseCoopers is charging Rs.10.5 cores and Rs.16 crores, respectively. "Already, mapping of water pipelines has been completed while the work of mapping sewerage pipelines will be completed within the next three months," informed Mr. Mohan.

DJB sources said in its first survey, the international agency has highly undervalued cost of around 3,900 properties at Rs.1,500 crores against the market value of Rs.49,000 crores. And after the final survey of sewerage pipelines, a highly undervalued worth of DJB would be quoted, they alleged, adding that this was being done to attract private parties.

However, the DJB CEO, Mr. Mohan said the population of Delhi had rapidly increased in the last five decades and has grown from only six lakhs in 1946 to an estimated 140 lakhs today. The systems that were laid long time back have expanded at phenomenal rate and also become old. "So, there was a need felt not only to understand the system for its proper and effective management but also to get complete details of the assets of DJB in order that there was proper accounting for its fixed assets which would provide a rational basis for costing the services," he added.

Mr. Mohan said that a proposal has been forwarded to the World Bank for a grant of $100 million to fund its forthcoming projects. "The project has been forwarded by the Union Government and if cleared, the disbursal of the amount would depend as per our requirements," he said, denying that there was any pressure or interference of World Bank in the DJB's functioning and it just wanted the Board to improve efficiency and increase interface with consumers.

Regarding the DJB's ambitious 24X7 water supply plan in South Delhi from September this year, he said despite availability of sufficient water, distribution was getting out of hands. Private companies were being roped in just to ensure that water supply was being regularised and to plug the loopholes. So, the entire assets and distribution management would remain with us and there was no plan to privatise the entire water distribution system, he clarified.

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