Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Work to commence on JBIC project this month

Special Correspondent

Project will be completed by October 2008

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The work on the Rs.2,600-crore Kerala Water Supply Project funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will start this month.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will formally inaugurate the project, benefiting five districts, at a function here on Tuesday.

Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran and Minister for Law M. Vijayakumar told mediapersons here on Sunday that the project would be completed on a war footing by October 2008.

All the 23 contracts for the project excluding three had been awarded. One of the remaining contracts would be awarded shortly.

The Ministers said that special efforts were being taken for coordination of various departments and agencies for implementing the project. A Cabinet sub-committee to oversee the project was under consideration.

Mr. Premachandran claimed that the project would benefit 41 lakh people. It would be the biggest water supply project to be taken up in the State, and second only to the Bangalore Water Supply Project in the country.

It would turn out to be a project like the Kerala State Transport Project unless the works were carried out efficiently in a time bound manner.

Interest risk

He said that according to the changed terms of the loan, the State would have to pay 1.5 per cent as interest on the loan in Japanese Yen. The interest risk would have to be borne by the Government. The repayment would start after ten years.

The project has five components including renovation and augmentation of water supply in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode cities. The other three are comprehensive water supply schemes for Meenadu and nearby panchayats in Kollam district, Cherthala Municipality and nearby panchayats in Alappuzha district and Pattuvam and nearby panchayats in Kannur district.

The water for the Kozhikode project, which will also benefit the neighbouring panchayats, will be brought from the Peruvannamuzhi dam.

The water for the Cherthala scheme will be drawn from Muvattupzha river . The Pazhassi reservoir will be source for the Pattumvam scheme and Kallada river for the Meenadu scheme.

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