The combine of trade unions in the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) staged a dharna at the Kochi Corporation office on Friday (November 22) to voice their concerns about the proposed Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Kerala Urban Water Supply Improvement Project in Kochi.
A rally was taken out to the Corporation office as part of the agitation announced by the trade unions against the government’s decision to go ahead with the project. The protest focussed on sensitising the public about the lack of clarity in the detailed project report and the fears expressed by employees that it might ultimately result in the privatisation of the water distribution system in Kochi.
The State government had given administrative approval for the ADB-assisted 24X7 uninterrupted water supply scheme for Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in 2020. The government had approved an outlay of ₹2,511 crore submitted by the KWA, the implementation agency, for the project. The ADB loan will constitute 70% — or ₹1,757.7 crore — of the total amount. The State will chip in with the remaining 30% (₹753.3 crore) as its share.
Later, it was decided to implement the first phase of the project within the Kochi city limits. Two works — renovation of the drinking water distribution network and an expression of interest for selecting a project consultant — had been tendered initially.
Trade unions had alleged that the KWA had a peripheral role in drawing up the project estimate. Instead, the ADB consultant had prepared the estimate, and it was accorded technical sanction after some minor tweaks by then KWA officials, it said.
Published – November 22, 2024 07:05 pm IST