With both Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) and Union Urban Development Ministry showing reluctance in financing the Delhi Jal Board's clean Yamuna project, the AAP Government is reportedly in a limbo on how to fulfill its poll promise to clean the river and raise Rs20,000-30,000 crore needed for implementing the Master Plan for Sewage Treatment for cleaning of river Yamuna.
The JICA has already refused to provide Rs30,00 crore. Following which cleaning Yamuna will be quite tough in the backdrop of funds crunch. A joint committee of Centre and the Delhi Government is trying hard to find ways to raise the funds, according to sources.
It came to the fore recently with Union Government's water resources river development and Ganga rejuvenation secretary Shashi Shekhar writing to National Green Tribunal chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar that it would be difficult for any Government/Government body to provide huge amount (Rs3,000 crore) in one or two year. Secondly, the total amount required to complete the Master Plan is of the order of Rs20,000 crore and that only on implementation of the entire Master Plan, Yamuna would be free from untreated sewage.
In his letter, Shekhar said, "It would be difficult for any Government to provide huge amount to the tune of Rs3,000 crore in a single year or two for such projects."
Shekhar, who is also the chairman of the principal committee on financing of sewerage treatment projects of the Delhi Jal Board for cleaning of the Yamuna, said he along with the Delhi's chief secretary and finance secretary, additional secretary of the Union Urban Development Ministry and DJB CEO had a detailed brainstorming on the issue.
At the meeting it was generally decided that funding of such huge amount through Government resources would be extremely difficult and would take ages to complete all the sewage projects required for ensuring Yamuna becoming free from sewage pollution.
The brainstorming was held as a follow up to the meeting chaired by Justice Kumar, in which directions had been issued to the principal committee to go into the issue of funding of the DJB's projects and also recommend sources for financing the projects given that the JICA has not agreed to finance projects proposed on the Najafgarh drain and the MoUD had also showed reluctance to finance such projects where costing had not been properly done.
The letter said the committee also discussed that some of the projects implemented by the DJB did not give desired results and they require rehabilitation and upgradation. He said many DJB Sewage Treatment Plants did not meet the quality standards as prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board of the treated water.
According to letter, that the committee was of the unanimous view that it would be better that the sewage projects were implemented under the Public Private Partnership arrangement with the Centre and the state administration providing annuity through budgetary support to the successful concessionaire.
It said, "The period of the project could be of 15 to 20 years and both Centre and State Government would guarantee annuity payment to the concessionaire during this period. Such an arrangement will ensure early implementation of the entire Master Plan as Government money would leverage sizeable investment from the private sector. This will also ensure continued performance from the STP and the asset will also serve the purpose for a longer period."
Shekhar said the committee was of the unanimous view that during the period of annuity payment, the city Government and the DJB through appropriate regulation and infrastructure should create a market for treated water so that all these assets including their running cost acquire sustainability for much longer period through the sale proceeds.