The Urban Development Department while defending the Ranchi Master Plan-2037 on Sunday put onus on the Road Construction Department for despoiling crores of rupees spent on drainage construction cross the city.
The jibe has come amid fear of the mammoth loss to the exchequer expected to be caused due to the road widening exercise proposed under the Master Plan and its resultant impact on the newly-constructed drains.
“loss is there for sure. But it is for the officials of the Road Construction Department to answer,” replied Urban Development Minister CP Singh briefly before flagging ‘no comment’ board when pressed further on why his Department did not act in coordination with the later in the run up to the Master Plan for Ranchi.
The Road Construction department hurried with the construction of drains across the city knowing fully well that the formulation of the long awaited Master Plan was under process and also that a centrally-funded new sewerage system has to be in place soon.
The Master Plan passed by the Cabinet last week proposes to stretch width of some premier canals of the city by over double of the existing. This includes the most crowded stretches such as Firayalal Chowk to Purulia Road to Ratan Talkies, Old Hazaribagh Road, Circular Road, Harmu Road, Station Road which would be spread anything between 150 and 100 feet.
Notably most of these roads and almost all the major arteries of the city have been on drainage building spree for last six months. The drains coming up are wider than the replaced structures, deeper and built through RCC method using concrete and steel rods. The drains, experts say, are durable structures and could have served the city for the next 20-25 years or even more if maintained properly but now facing immediate demolition danger because of the Master Plan.
As per a rough estimate, the Road Construction Department with 18.55 per cent appreciation in the estimated budget for the project in Zone-1covering Kanke Road and Ratu Road is expected to spend about `125-crore on the ongoing drain construction exercise for the city.
This includes widening of roads and drains along major roads and construction of footpaths on both the sides.
“First, the drains faced threat by the proposed sewerage-drainage system which is in pipeline. And now the Master Plan has come. I believe that both the departments should have worked in concerted manner to stop this wastage of public money,” said a senior engineer of the RCD.
Even Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Chandra Prakash Choudhary admitted about the lacuna and went speechless for a while before looking for an escape route.
“This should have been taken into account by the plan makers. I agree that better coordination was needed between the two departments.” But what about hard-earned public money, Mr MinisterIJ “….Ummn..the official would now look for some ways so that the wastage is minimised,” Choudhury could barely utter.
The Pioneer also touched top officials of the RCD who would have been actively involved into the drain construction exercise. “look, when you build a four storey building over the old one, then obviously the old one has to be demolished! If you call it a wastage, you can call it. As far as coordination aspect is concerned, I am not able to comment on that and it is for the higher authorities to look into,” said Chief Engineer with the Department Ram Naresh Raman. Secretaries of both the respective Departments could not be reached for their comments.
Amid the sense of anxiety, it seems that the goof-up would also be swept under the carpet or managed. “Anyway the Master Plan is not going to be executed from tomorrow! Till then, the people would enjoy walking on footpaths. Is it a mean thing,” quipped CP Singh which can be the only escape route left to justify the drain-game!