Bathinda, September 8 The work of laying concrete lining along the sludge carrier is all set to start in October. It will rid the residents of the problem of waterlogging during the rains. It has been observed that due to its weak and fragile condition, breaches develop along the carrier when more water is released into it on a rainy day. As per MCB officials, in the first phase of the project, 3-km-long concrete lining along the sludge carrier would be laid and work on this started after a tender would be opened on October 3. On July 16, when the city received 167 mm of rainfall, a breach on the sludge carrier was reported, aggravating the waterlogging problem in the city as the drainage of rainwater was stopped. It took more time for the MC to dispose of rainwater from city roads and in low-lying areas. MCB Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill said, “Work on the concrete lining along the sludge carrier would be started soon, which will increase its capacity. The tender for this project would be opened on October 3. Then, in the first phase, 3-km-long concrete lining would be laid. He said funds for the project had already been released by Finance Minister Manpreet Badal.” It is pertinent to mention that the sludge carrier was constructed in 1991 and due to the poor maintenance of the carrier, its walls from both sides have gone weak. Its walls have started crumbling. Many portions have caved in at various places, leading to a breach along it many times. In 2013, the Municipal Corporation had decided to lay a parallel pipe of 48-inch diameter to enhance the capacity of the sludge carrier at a cost of Rs 17.20 crore, which carries the water treated at the sewage treatment plant (STP) and further empties it into fields. In 2015, Noida-based Triveni company was roped in, but it could lay only 4.8-km-long pipeline till date and at present, the work on this project has been stalled for some time due to the opposition from farmers.

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