Ahmedabad water project halted after Rs 20 crore spent, new site proposed

The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has halted construction of a Rs 150 crore water treatment plant at Jaspur after more than Rs 20 crore had already been spent on the project.

The plant, located adjacent to Shantigram township, was intended to be connected to a pipeline network supplying potable water to villages along the SP Ring Road and SG Highway.

Auda has now decided to shift the plant to another site and use the existing location for an international-standard sports complex under a proposed public-private partnership model.

An official told the Times of India that the water plant had been approved only last year, after which a work order was issued and construction began.

“Auda had approved the project only last year. Work order had been issued and construction had begun. After spending more than Rs 20 crore, Auda abruptly cancelled it. There are now plans to build a international-standard sports complex on a public-private partnership (PPP) model,” the official said.

A source in the urban body said the relocation would effectively restart the project and could increase the overall cost.

Auda’s proposal states that construction of the water treatment plant at the current site is to be suspended and the facility shifted to a new plot. The proposed new site covers 78,000 sq m across Final Plot Nos. 38 and 513 under TP Scheme No. 229 (Jaspur-Khodiyar).

The Auda chairman has been authorised to send a proposal to the state government seeking decisions on the costs incurred because of the relocation and the proposed development of the international-standard sports complex at the current site.

The authority plans to construct the replacement plant near the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run treatment plant in the Jaspur area, although at a different location.

Sources said the relocation is expected to considerably delay water supply to the villages covered by the project. Building and commissioning the treatment plant at the new site could take three to four years.

The project is connected to Auda’s wider drinking-water plans. The authority is implementing an Rs 240 crore Jal Jeevan Mission pipeline project to bring drinking water to villages along the SP Ring Road.

Pipelines intended to supply water to 55 villages in the western part of the area were to be connected to the Jaspur treatment plant that has now been scrapped at its original location.

Auda’s proposed sports complex at the site will require a separate formal proposal to the state government.

The decision therefore leaves the original water treatment project without its planned site, while Auda prepares to shift the facility and begin the process again at another location.