Pune: “I am very happy to announce that 70 per cent of the first package (Construction of Branch Sewers) of Mula-Mutha cleaning project has been completed in Baner area,” said Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar in a press interaction held in city on Sunday.
He said that he will visit the site and review the progress of the package, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Pune Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil, Pune Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Girish Bapat, Mayor Mukta Tilak and other officials.
Javadekar also announced that the foundation stone for four more packages (involving the construction of Sewage Treatment Plants) will be laid within two months i.e by the first week of August.
He said, “The four more packages will get the final nod in a few days from now and by the first week on August we will be doing foundation for four packages.”
The minister reviewed the progress of the project to reduce the pollution of the Mula-Mutha River.
The meeting was attended by MP Bapat, Mayor Tilak, officials of the Ministry of EF&CC, Government of India; Forest, Water Resources and Environment departments of Government of Maharashtra, State Pollution Control Board, Pune Municipal Corporation, PMC Standing Committee and the consultant appointed for the project.
Under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project, the civic body will construct 11 new sewage treatment plants (STPs) in different parts of the city for the abatement of the Mula-Mutha River.
The total cost of the project is Rs 990 crore which was sanctioned by the Central Government in January 2016.
Javadekar also informed that the project will be on fast-track and he will do monthly follow-ups.
He said, “Today all agencies concerned are here and they have decided the time-lines among themselves and we will see that dream of Pune city will be fulfilled very soon.”
The minister pointed out that this is a joint project of Government of India and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for cleaning of Mula-Mutha River, under National River Conservation Plan, and not a project of the JICA, as it is commonly known.
He said, “JICA is just a bank which is giving loan which Central Government is repaying and therefore, this project is rightly called as the Government of India and PMC joint project of Mula-Mutha River cleaning because JICA is not giving any donation, it is like any other loan which we will be repaid. Fortunately for Pune, its neither PMC nor Maharashtra Government has to repay it. It will be repaid by the Central Government, this is Modiji’s gift to Pune.”
He recalled that the project was pending for 10 years, from 2004 – 2014, after which clearance was given to it when he took over as Union Environment Minister in 2014.