PWD against digging roads; 34 projects of Water authority pending

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As Public Works Department has not given permission for digging roads for pipe installation, 34 projects of Water Authority including AMRUT have come to a standstill. AMRUT project is for supplying drinking water to houses. 1180 applications of Water Authority are pending for permission from PWD. The first phase of the AMRUT project is to be completed by March 2023 and the Jal Jeevan Mission, which provides drinking water in panchayats, is to be completed by 2024.

According to officials, the delay in clearance is due to the remaining Defect Liability Period (DLP) of many roads and delay in arranging work. Digging of roads is not permitted from June to August 15 due to rainy season. Meanwhile, a high-level committee of chief engineers headed by the secretaries of both departments were held yesterday to discuss the approval.