No private adviser, NESL for Rs 227crore water project

NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) special purpose vehicle — Nagpur Environmental Services Limited (NESL) — will itself be the consultant for city’s water supply projects.
The appointment of NESL as project management consultant for Rs 227 crore water supply project sanctioned for unauthorized layouts by the central government under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is a major departure from the earlier NMC practice of appointing private consultants for several of their smaller projects.
TOI was the first to report NMC’s plan to engage NESL as consultant for water supply projects in the state and extend it to entire nation on August 31. Established on August 31, 2009, NESL monitors water supply of the city and execution of 24X7 water supply project. NMC’s plan is to develop NESL on the lines of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that set up the Delhi metro rail and is now consultant for various metro rail projects across the country.
NESL board of directors in the meeting held on Tuesday decided not to appoint any private consultant for city’s water supply project. Mayor Pravin Datke, who is also chairman of NESL, told TOI the decision was the first step towards making NESL develop expertise that it can offer to others. “Staffing pattern of NESL was also approved in the meeting. Municipal commissioner has been given powers to select and recruit the staff for NESL. Municipal commissioner will constitute a committee for making appointments,” he said.
NESL board also decided to appoint a retired officer as director on the board. The state’s urban development department on August 30 had permitted appointment of retired engineer as director of NESL. Retired chief engineer Prakash Urade and retired superintending engineer Shashikant Hastak have submitted applications for the post.
NESL board formed a three-member committee of municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar, additional municipal commissioner Ramnath Sonawane and retired NEERI director Satish Wate to interview Urade and Hastak and select one of them. The director will look after NESL consultancy services and also guide in water supply and execution of 24X7 water supply project.
Datke added the board also decided to accept water bill payment of Rs 100 and above through cheques as against earlier limit of Rs 1,000. The decision has been taken following demonetisation of 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
The board also approved policy for removing non-functional borewells. Chairman of water works committee Sandip Joshi, also a director of NESL, said, “The borewells can now be removed with an application from respective corporator, NOC from NESL and approval from executive engineer of NMC water works department,” he said.
Defunct borewells pose a threat to citizens and occupy space on roads. The corporators and citizens from some areas were demanding their removal.