Mumbai: Eastern suburbs have hit gold with most development activity concentrated in that region. However, an incomplete water work has now put all future development in the region in jeopardy.

The work of laying a 6-km-long water main from Mulund-Goregaon link road to Chemburs Amar Mahal junction has got stalled. The contractor has expressed his inability to carry out the work at the existing contract cost of Rs58 crore approved by the corporation three years ago.

The 3,000-mm diameter pipeline had been envisaged by civic hydraulic department to augment water supply to the eastern suburban areas with officials expecting a steep rise in water demand owing to rapid development in the region.

The contractor, NV Kharote Constructions Pvt Ltd, argued that steel prices have escalated since they took up the work and demanded an increase of Rs15 crore in the contract. Pramod Charankar, deputy municipal commissioner (special engineering), however, indicated that the corporation was not in a mood to give in to his demands.

Water brought from reservoirs on the outskirts will be transported to regions stretching from Bhandup to Kurla in eastern suburbs and further south up to Parel in central Mumbai, said senior civic officials. Charankar said the corporation expected the demand-supply gap to increase by a further 50 mlds in the next one year. The BMC is now weighing the options at its disposal - to cancel the contract and invite new bids or to work out a mutually agreeable escalation in cost. Officials however admitted to serious repucussions in water supply distribution for the region, if the project did not materialise before May, 2009.
Source : DNA